4 Atlanta Falcons that will prove a lot of people wrong in 2023 season

3. Arthur Smith

There are only three legitimate gripes with Arthur Smith two years into his tenure with all three centering around leaving players in the lineup too long or end-of-game management. Aside from these three concerns, it is easy to make the case that Smith has been underappreciated as a head coach.

Taking two objectively bad or below-average rosters to back-to-back seven-win seasons with almost every game coming down to the final quarter is impressive. Atlanta was a rebuilding team that was supposed to be competing for the first overall pick, not on the fringes of wildcard contention.

For the first time since Smith and Terry Fontenot were hired, there is now a level of pressure on the head coach. It is winning time for a team in an easy division with an all-time easy schedule. If Smith cannot have a huge season and lead this team to the playoffs there are going to be questions that could result in a change at the position.