Why Falcons had reason to be angry over Saints' run-it-up TD

In a normal situation, if you don't want a team to run the score up then don't let them get in position to run the score up. That is a valid statement.

But in the Atlanta Falcons blowout loss against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, that is not a valid statement because of how the Saints went about running the score up. It is something that never should have happened and Arthur Smith had every reason to be livid.

Atlanta Falcons should be livid over Saints' late touchdown

I would like to reiterate that there usually is nothing wrong with running the score up. While unlikely, tiebreakers in the NFL can come down to point differential so scoring that last-minute touchdown could end up being the difference between making the playoffs and missing the playoffs.

With that being said, the New Orleans Saints had no excuse for how they ran the score up against the Atlanta Falcons in what proved to be the last game of both team's seasons.

First of all, it is week 18 and the tiebreakers were not going to come down to point differential. The scenarios were cut and dry.

But the real issue was how they got the ball into the endzone. Lining up in a clear 'QB Kneel' play only to run it up the middle is bush league.

And the same people who say "then stop it" are the same people who would flip out if a defender made contact with an offensive player on a QB kneel.

Think about that for a minute, what would the media be saying if the Saints had taken the knee and the Falcons had decided they wanted to "finish the play" and they attacked the offensive line? I have a feeling there would be a lot of adjectives involving "dirty."

You just don't run the ball out of a QB kneel. It is cheap.

Dennis Allen said it wasn't his decision and that the players wanted to get Jamaal Williams a touchdown. Well, you should have done that earlier because that was not the time to do it. It sounds like Jameis Winston was the leader in the decision and I would be lying if I said I was surprised.

Arthur Smith had every right to be upset over the call, even Dennis Allen said so. There is a mutual understanding that lining up in QB kneel means the game is over and you don't need to get anyone injured. If you are going to call defenders who dive at the knees of offensive linemen on QB kneels dirty, then don't defend what the Saints just did.