Furious Falcons HC Arthur Smith RAGES at Saints colleague Dennis Allen after New Orleans scores a late touchdown in garbage time…despite leading 41-17: 'That's some damn bulls***!'
- The Saints will only make the playoffs depending on the Seahawks and Packers
- Smith faces an uncertain future in Atlanta after finishing the year with a 7-10 record
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Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith took off on his Saints counterpart Dennis Allen for a late score in garbage time during the 48-17 win at New Orleans, in what could prove to be a decisive, playoff-clinching NFC South game on Sunday are .
Saints running back Jamaal Williams rushed for a one-yard touchdown with 1:10 left in the game to infuriate Smith, with the score already heavily in favor of New Orleans at the time, 41-17.
“Why the fuck would you do that, man? Why the hell did you do that? That's some damn bulls***…” Smith, the son of FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith, appears to tell Allen after heading to the Saints bench.
In his post-match comments, Allen said his players should have taken a knee out of respect for their opponents, according to Mike Triplett of New Orleans.Football.
But some players wanted to help Williams record a TD in what Allen has described as an “unacceptable” gesture.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith (R) was furious with the Saints' Dennis Allen after a late TD with 1:00 to go
“That's not who we are, not what we stand for,” he added.
New York Giants great Tiki Barber weighed in on Smith's late-game rant on CBS, telling the third-year Falcons head coach, “This is football man. You have the right to do whatever you want.”
Saints quarterback Derek Carr passed for four touchdowns to lift his team to victory, but both teams missed a chance to win the division as Tampa Bay defeated Carolina.
Smith is under pressure after leading the Falcons to their third straight losing season since '20
Carr passed for 264 yards and rookie receiver AT Perry caught two scoring passes to double his season total for New Orleans.
The Saints can still clinch an NFC wild-card spot later Sunday with losses to both Seattle and Green Bay.
Speculation swirled in the Atlanta locker room surrounding Smith's future after his third straight losing campaign.
The Falcons now face an off-season of significant changes, while the Saints will have to wait for later results on Sunday to see if they can advance to the playoffs.