Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Praises Improved Bears: ‘Hell of a Job’
The Atlanta Falcons haven’t exactly made things easy on themselves headed into the final two weeks of the season.
During a six-game, late-season stretch that’s featured five opponents that were under .500 at the time of the matchup, the Falcons are 3-3 in that span as they beat the only team that wasn’t below .500 by taking down the Indianapolis Colts in a convincing 29-10 win this past Sunday.
But despite facing another sub-.500 team in Week 17 on Sunday, things are hardly getting easier against a Chicago Bears squad that’s played better than their record shows during the back half of the season.
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The Bears (6-9) will host the Falcons (7-8) at Soldier Field in a game that will essentially be another do-or-die scenario for Atlanta. If the Falcons want to catch up with the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they’ll need to have their focus set on winning out and nothing short of it.
Stopping a growing offense led by dynamic quarterback Justin Fields and a tough-nosed rushing attack will be one of the final challenges standing in the way of coach Arthur Smith and Co. on their path toward a NFC South title, and he’s well aware of it.
“They’ve done a nice job. Their rushing attack is rolling. It’s like last year before we played them, they had had a couple of great weeks running the football. Their designed quarterback runs and the play extension, those add up too. When the game got close yesterday, he scrambled for a big play.”
Smith also recognizes the elite talent on a Bears defense that might be overlooked by most casual fans. Chicago is surrendering the fewest rushing yards per game (80.7), which could spell trouble for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
“Certainly, their defense is really playing well,” Smith said. “They’ve made a lot of investments in that defense. Some of these younger pieces they’ve had in the secondary are playing well. Obviously, they added (Montez) Sweat. They’re doing a good job of getting pressure with a four-man rush. I think (Matt) Eberflus is doing a hell of a job.”
The Bears and Falcons will kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
