Both the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints had a lot on the line today ahead of their Week 18 matchup with a playoff spot on the line in the NFC South. Not to mention, Arthur Smith and Dennis Allen’s long-term future may be up in the air after two or more seasons missing the playoffs.
Prior to the game, there was speculation that the Week 18 outcome could directly impact the future job status of both coaches heading into the 2024 offseason. If true, Allen’s 48-17 convincing victory over Smith’s team has to go a long way toward building his case to stick around.
Related: Atlanta Falcons digging into potential NFL head coach hires with Arthur Smith’s future uncertain
Arthur Smith blows up at Dennis Allen for running up the score
While the game was mostly out of hand by the third quarter, there was one final stand that truly ticked off the Falcons head coach. With the Saints already leading 41-17 as the final seconds wound down, Coach Allen’s team didn’t take its foot off the gas and opted to score another pointless touchdown in garbage time.
Here was the play that made Coach Smith so upset.
After the game, when Smith and Allen met for their mid-field chat, Allen absolutely blew up at his opponent, letting him know how much he hated his decision to run up the score.
Not long into his post-game press conference, Coach Allen showed some remorse and quickly apologized to his fellow head coach. While doing so, Allen appeared to pit the blame on running back Jamaal Williams and the rest of the Saints offense.
Related: 5 Atlanta Falcons coaching candidates to replace Arthur Smith