Flick's Forum: Atlanta Falcons' Playoff Hopes Aren't Dead - But Arthur Smith Needs More Than 'Learning Experience'
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder stands at the podium, eyes focused, ears perked.
Ridder listens to the question at hand and begins to speak, revealing the coarse, melancholy tone expected after a hard-fought loss.
“There is a lot of things we are going to clean up and a lot of things we’re going to learn from and get better from and come out better in the back end,” Ridder said.
That's the scene of Ridder's postgame press conference after Sunday's 29-25 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium ... but it could just as easily pass for his actions following any number of Atlanta's prior losses.
In essence: same words, same result.
The Falcons totaled 434 yards of offense to the Buccaneers' 290. Atlanta had seven more first downs and averaged two more yards per play.
But the Falcons also had two turnovers that gifted the Buccaneers the ball in the red zone, missed a pair of field goals and endured a seven-possession stretch that included a little bit of everything - except points.
It looked all too familiar to Atlanta's 24-16 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 6, during which the Ridder-led offense more than doubled the visitors in total yards but fell after three crucial interceptions.
When Ridder stepped to the microphone on that Sunday in mid-October, he gave an eerily similar response.
“When you have plenty of opportunities to go down, put points on the board, you're moving the ball, getting things going and coming up short, that's tough,” Ridder said Oct. 15. “But I think what's great is there's a lot of good things to learn from.
“There's a lot of things that us as an offense can go back and learn from, and I think it's only going to make us better.”
Nearly two months to the day, Ridder checked many of the same boxes - a difficult performance with good ball movement but coming up short ... and plenty to build on moving forward.
The Falcons were 3-3 after losing to Washington. They're now 6-7, deadlocked with the Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South.
On a broader scale, Atlanta's 6-7 for the second time in three years under coach Arthur Smith. The lone exception came in 2022, when the Falcons were 5-8 at this same benchmark.
After spending $190 million this offseason, expectations were different. A 2-0 start only added fuel to the fire.
In the 11 games that have followed, the Falcons have often shown promise on the field and proceeded to make promises for future growth off the field ... but have returned back to phase one.
“We had goals today,” Falcons safety Richie Grant said. “We knew what was riding on this game and we didn’t get the job done, and it hurt. But at the same time, we're not out of it. We’ve still got a chance to go do what we want to do.
“So, it's really just about learning from this one tomorrow, and we’ve got to move forward. We can't really just sit here and weep on this one.”
Atlanta was without five projected defensive starters, with defensive tackle David Onyemata, linebacker Nate Landman and cornerback Jeff Okudah each inactive due to injuries, joining a pair of players in defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and linebacker Troy Andersen who are expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Offensively, the Falcons were down to just one starting offensive lineman - rookie left guard Matthew Bergeron - late in the first half. They played with two starters up front in the second half as right guard Chris Lindstrom gutted through an ankle injury.
But injuries aren't an excuse at this stage of the season, and the Buccaneers were also down three defensive starters in defensive tackle Vita Vea, linebacker Devin White and cornerback Jamel Dean.
Falcons corner Clark Phillips III was quick to point out the "next man up" philosophy, something he embodies after replacing Okudah in the lineup.
Smith noted it's life in the NFL and Atlanta still had its opportunities ... but came up empty, this time by three yards, as receiver Drake London was stopped agonizingly short of the goal line on the game's final play.
Each of the Falcons' last three losses have been decided in the closing seconds. The two before that were both by one possession. In all five instances, opportunities to grow were presented.
Atlanta appeared heading down the right path, winning consecutive games after the bye week and holding sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
This gave the Falcons the chance to win three straight games for the first time under Smith and illustrate they've moved past some of the same flaws that plagued them earlier this year.
Instead, Atlanta delivered self-inflicted wounds time and again ... and is left salvaging hope with another opportunity to learn.
“It was tough, but those are the moments that you want to be in though when you call yourself a great football team,” Phillips said. “I'm grateful that it was us, and we'll use this as a learning experience.”
Of course, the natural question here is: what else should the players and coaches say?
It's not so much about that - it's the frequency of opportunities that have been given to learn, and the troubling trend of Smith's tenure that many of those experiences have gone to the wayside.
The dagger in Atlanta's hopes of pulling off a nine-point fourth-quarter comeback came when Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton beat Grant for a go-ahead touchdown with 36 seconds to play.
Grant was in coverage, with his final snap of the day concluding on his stomach, arms extended, trying to save the game - but coming up short.
While Grant accepted the Buccaneers simply made a good play and beat him, it didn't take away any of the emotions attached with being the poster child of Atlanta's latest late-game heartbreak.
“It hurt,” Grant said. “You want to win a game. You definitely want to win for your teammates. We’re all putting the same amount of work in. It's hard to look those guys in the face, but we're a brotherhood and they hold you up. It's not all perfect, but we’ve still got work to do.”
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Bud Dupree (48) leaves the field after being defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The consummate feeling in Atlanta's locker room is Sunday's loss did little to alter playoff hopes. The Falcons remain squarely in the mix, with Smith noting they'll have playoff-type games down the stretch.
Smith has long said he and general manager Terry Fontenot have assembled the right group of personalities, built to withstand the highs and lows of an NFL season.
That's been shown at various points this year, perhaps best in Week 13 against the New York Jets when depth was tested and perseverance was needed - and succinctly received.
But Atlanta's biggest test is still to come. Smith anticipates a "wild adventure" with week-to-week change over the season's final four weeks.
Carrying the right mentality is key. Smith has no concern about his team's mindset and entirely shut down the possibility of Sunday's loss being demoralizing.
“Watch our guys play,” Smith said. “We've won some games in the clutch and we’ve lost a couple. But this team never, never has ever had their spirit broken. I'm not here predicting anything, but just look at the evidence and watch the results today. The evidence of watching us week in and week out.”
Smith ensured he wasn't celebrating a close loss, instead pointing to Atlanta's ability to make plays in the fourth quarter and give itself a chance at the end.
Still, the Falcons made too many mistakes for Week 14 in Smith's third season to win, as indicting a notion yet on the 41-year-old boss.
Unfulfilled promises have been commonplace - but the idea of Atlanta's locker room remaining in high spirits is valid. There's still plenty of belief.
Falcons receiver Drake London, who set career-highs with 10 receptions for 172 yards against the Buccaneers, said the team will keep chugging with sights set on making a playoff push.
London twice said the phrase, “We’re not out of it.”
Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, one of five team captains, took a broader approach, comparing football to the ebbs and flows of life.
But most importantly, Bates emphasized that everything is up for grabs, and the team who handles adversity best in the closing weeks will ultimately earn the right to play in the postseason.
In essence, Atlanta still has everything it set out to do right in front of it - now it just has to seize the moment.
“I think the team that comes out successful is the one that can weather through the storm, who can stay grounded no matter whether it’s going good or going bad,” Bates said. ”We’re going to go to work and prepare like we’re a championship team. That’s the mindset.”
Lindstrom echoed similar sentiments, using Monday as a chance to make corrections before the Falcons shift their focus to next Sunday's road game against the Carolina Panthers (1-12).
Now tied for the division lead and half a game out of the final wildcard spot pending the Green Bay Packers' (6-6) outcome vs. the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, Atlanta's last four games will ultimately dictate whether it achieves its overarching preseason expectation of reaching the postseason.
That's firmly in the minds of those in the Falcons' locker room - but so is the need to bring a heightened level of intensity to each week moving forward, embracing the playoff-esque mentality Smith referenced.
“We talk about focusing on the present day and focusing on the present moment,” Lindstrom said. “(Monday's) intent is to make the corrections and get our training. I think that’s the way you look at it, and you have to move on to Carolina because they’re a great team, and that’s a huge, huge game for us.”
The Falcons wanted 2023 to be different. Through 13 games, little's changed - be it record, words spoken, or the way games have unfolded.
There's still a chance to finish strong and flip the narrative ... but before then, Atlanta returns to the same position it's been far too often this year: back to the drawing board, searching for answers with hopes of outgrowing the same fatal flaws that reared their ugly head Sunday.
“Come out harder than we did this game, come out harder than we ever did,” London said. “We could have set ourselves up pretty, pretty well. Right now, we just have to get back in the lab and figure it out.”
