Atlanta Falcons' Arthur Smith Has 'A Lot of Belief' in Discouraged DB Richie Grant

The Atlanta Falcons still believe in safety Richie Grant, despite a rough performance on Sunday.

Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant had a rough game against the Arizona Cardinals before the bye.

Grant allowed the 33-yard pass play that set up the Cardinals in field goal range, eventually leading to the game-winning field goal for Matt Prater against the Falcons. Understandably, Grant was frustrated after the game, but head coach Arthur Smith has not lost faith in his safety.

“Like a lot of our guys, they all care," Smith said this week. "Sometimes, too, you’ve got to not let people be too pessimistic. Those guys care. We’ve got a lot of belief in Richie. 

"What happens is you give up a play at a critical time, it’s easy to get down. But there are lot of other things. You lose sight of the good things. You say, ‘How do you go in there and how do we fix this?’ It’s not like there are 70 plays in a game like that but those get highlighted. Got a lot of confidence in him.”

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) catches a pass over Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant (27) at State Farm Stadium :: © Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Grant is only in his third season in the NFL, so growing pains are somewhat-inevitable, but it is understandable why he would hang his head after surrendering a game-changing play. 

Still, everything remains on the table for the Falcons. They may be 4-6, but they are not out of the playoff race in a struggling NFC South, especially with the opponent that looms on the horizon.

Saints QB Derek Carr 'Likely' to Play vs. Falcons

Atlanta will play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in a pivotal division matchup, and a win would go a long way for the Falcons' hopes of salvaging this slow start to the season.

Kickoff on Sunday between Atlanta and New Orleans is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on FOX.