Falcons Coaches Praise Derek Carr Before Week 18 vs. New Orleans Saints

The Atlanta Falcons have a chance to potentially win the NFC South, but Derek Carr stands in the way. Arthur Smith and Jerry Gray spoke about the passer ahead of Week 18.

The Atlanta Falcons have already beaten the New Orleans Saints once this season, beating their rival 24-15 in Week 12. Now, with the season on the line, they’ll have to complete the season sweep to have a chance at the playoffs.

Winning the NFC South is a two-step process for Atlanta. Going into New Orleans and escaping with a victory on Sunday is half the battle—the Carolina Panthers beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is another.

For all the scoreboard-watching that will be going on, the Falcons can only control their own Week 18 contest. That starts with limiting Saints quarterback Derek Carr.

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Ahead of the Sunday afternoon affair, head coach Arthur Smith spoke about the potency Carr provides as a veteran under center.

“Yeah, obviously he’s had a lot of success in the NFL," Smith said. "He’s a very smart quarterback. Like a lot of guys that play on Sunday, they get going, they get in a rhythm, and they can hurt you. We have to play well. It’s a huge game for us.”

In Week 12, Carr wasn’t able to get hot, and the offense fell apart. Mustering just a 26.7 quarterback rating, Carr found 304 yards on 38 pass attempts, complete with zero touchdowns and an interception.

Atlanta’s defense replicating that performance would be immeasurable, especially given the inconsistencies of its offense. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke was horrendous against the Chicago Bears, completing 10 of 29 attempts for 163 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions. Desmond Ridder came in as relief and found himself an interception on just four pass attempts.

Whoever ends up starting on Sunday will have their work cut out for them. New Orleans ranks fifth in both expected points added per play and success rate as a defense. It just held Tampa Bay to 13 points by creating four turnovers.

Simply put, the expectation is that the Falcons' defense will once again have to win them a game and, potentially, a division.

Assistant head coach Jerry Gray also gave Carr some credit.

“Yeah, he’s pretty good," Gray said. "Even when we played them the first time, he did a really good job. He’s probably one of the top quarterbacks we’ve played this year. Really good guy. He understands how to read. He knows how to move you with his eyes. He can make all of the throws. So, you’re going up against a real NFL quarterback this week.”

Falcons Can Make History with Win vs. Saints

On the season, Carr has thrown for 3,614 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while ranking 18th in quarterback rating. He hasn’t been good enough to elevate the Saints, but he’s dangerous enough to deliver a lethal blow on any given week. It’s on Atlanta to finish the job and put itself in the best position possible to host the NFC’s fifth seed next week.

Kickoff for Sunday’s action is at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.