Arthur Blank: Falcons will 'let the season play out' before decision on Arthur Smith's future

Arthur Smith's Atlanta Falcons laid an egg on Sunday, losing 9-7 to the previously one-win Carolina Panthers while putting up 204 yards of offense. The loss significantly sapped the Falcons' chances of making the postseason as they now sit at 6-7 with three tilts to play.

Tuesday, Smith made another move at quarterback, benching Desmond Ridder for the second time this season in favor of Taylor Heinicke. The snip-snap-snip-snap-snip-snap of the quarterback position is the move of a coach searching for any answer to save his job.

Despite the disappointment in Atlanta, owner Arthur Blank will make no knee-jerk reactions, telling Jeff Hullinger of Georgia Public Broadcasting that any decision on Smith's future will come after the final three games.

"We are committed to coach Smith," Blank told Hullinger. "We are going to play these last three games; we are committed to win. We will let the season play out and go from there. Obviously, this has not been the kind of year we expected; you would hear that from coach Smith, you would hear it from our fans and our players. We understand that; we understand the challenges. At the end of the year, we will assess where we are and go from there."

After 7-10 seasons in each of his first two years, Smith is staring at another losing record in 2023 with games against Colts, Bears and Saints remaining.

In the offseason, the Falcons maneuvered like a team that believed it had a shot at making a deep playoff run. They invested heavily in the defense during free agency and drafted running back Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick. Convincing veterans like Calais Campbell, who is searching for a Super Bowl ring, to come to Atlanta underscored a club that sold itself as a contender.

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