After a huge win against the New Orleans Saints at home in Week 12, the Atlanta Falcons are back on track and in the playoff hunt in the NFC South once again. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith shared the message he gave his team going into the crucial divisional matchup, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
#Falcons coach Arthur Smith said his message to the team was to "Get back to who we are. We're not a real flashy team."
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) November 27, 2023
Falcons get back to the run game in win over Saints
The Falcons definitely seemed to get back to playing the style of football that has been successful for them in the past. The run-pass ratio was more in line with what Arthur Smith wants, as the Falcons ran the ball 41 times to just 21 pass attempts. The Falcons defense stepped up against the Saints offense, including a pick-6 by Jessie Bates III that seemed to change the game completely.
Atlanta also got the ball in the hands of their best playmakers at a higher rate. Bijan Robinson turned 19 touches into over 120 combined yards and two touchdowns, while Drake London caught 5 passes for 91 yards in the win. Despite two more turnovers by Desmond Ridder, the Falcons offense seemed to sustain drives better than they had in previous losses.
Arthur Smith knows the path to winning is by ugly, old school football that involves a lot of running the ball. Ridder can't be trusted to throw the ball over 30 times again, as his turnover issues are still a major problem. The Falcons may be more content to lean on Bijan Robinson down the stretch, as the backend of the schedule sets up favorably for such a run-heavy offense.
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