Will Arthur Smith still be the Atlanta Falcons head coach next season?

With back-to-back wins Arthur Smith has put the Atlanta Falcons in the perfect position to claim the NFC South. If the team beats the Bucs this weekend they will have seized full control, and have the ability to lock up the division easily before the end of the season. After terrible losses to the Vikings and Cardinals this is somewhat surprising for the head coach and this roster.

This leads to the obvious question has Arthur Smith done enough to save his job? While the answer should be no, with the way that Arthur Blank operates this two game winning streak is likely enough to save Smith's job. If Arthur can finish stong and hold onto the division lead hosting a playoff game, there is no question that he will be back next season.

Atlanta's only path to firing Arthur Smith is a complete collapse down the stretch. Even for this roster that is going to be difficult with games against the Saints, Panthers, Bucs, and Bears remaining. Atlanta should be able to stumble their way to 8-10 wins which will be more than enough to win this division.

For now, Arthur Smith has done enough to save his job and is very likely to be back in the 2024 season. Whether or not that is a good decision can be heavily debated. What can't, however, is the need for Smith to add a passing game coordinator or to give up play calling this off-season. Though that should happen sooner it seems a change that is most likely going to happen during the off-season.

Atlanta's owner is extremely patient and while that may be frustrating in some ways it is better than other situations around the league. Consider the Carolina situation within Atlanta's own division. They are a franchise that can't get anything right with an owner firing everyone before they have a chance to build a roster and culture.

As frustrating as Blank's patience might be in this case things could be worse for a franchise that appears to be so close to finally turning the corner.