Another long offseason could be ahead for the Atlanta Falcons, who, while still in the playoff hunt heading into the final week of the 2023 NFL regular season, are seemingly showing cracks internally. That appeared to have been manifested further when veteran running back Cordarelle Patterson retweeted a post that implied his limited role on the team.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, however, doesn't see much of a problem with Patterson's social media behavior (h/t Kelly Price of FOX 5 Sports).
When asked about this by @mikerothstein, Arthur Smith says he doesn’t live his life through a screen and has “real human conversations” with Cordarrelle Patterson despite what might be posted online. Went on to say he only has a problem with players who don’t want the ball.
The 32-year-old Patterson only has 161 rushing yards on 45 carries through 17 weeks of the season. He will finish the 2023 campaign with the fewest carries and rushing yards in a season in a Falcons uniform, Even his receiving numbers have plunged compared to previous seasons, as he only has 38 receiving yards on nine receptions after coming up with 670 receiving yards on 73 receptions in the previous two years. Then again, in front of him on the depth chart are the young guys in Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Atlanta has also mostly utilized this season a dual-threat quarterback in the form of Desmond Ridder.
In any case, the Falcons haven't really found much success on offense despite all the talents they have on the team. They are just 26th overall in the league with only 19.0 points per game and 18th with 330.9 total yards per contest.
Falcons still in the hunt for a playoff ticket
Thankfully for the Falcons, even though they have a seemingly sub-optimal offense and a 7-9 record, they are still technically alive in the playoff race with only one game left on their schedule, mostly because the other teams in the NFC South division have been mediocre as well. Smith could only lament the situation his team is in.
“It’s our own fault that we’re not in total control,” Smith said about the NFC South race, per Amna Subhan.
If the Falcons are to make the playoffs, they definitely need to win Week 18's meeting with the New Orleans Saints on the road but will also have to hope that things outside of their control will favor them.
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