Flick's Forum: Give Arthur Smith, Taylor Heinicke Their Presents After Falcons Win vs. Colts
One of the Atlanta Falcons' biggest blunders in Sunday's 29-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts (8-7) was also an illustration of quarterback Taylor Heinicke's most redeeming qualities.
With 10 seconds to play, Heinicke spiked the ball, stopping the clock while affording the Falcons (7-8) an additional play - but they didn't get the chance to capitalize on it.
There was miscommunication between Atlanta and the officials about the playing being set, and Smith asked for the play clock to be reset. It never was.
The Falcons had to burn their final timeout, marking the second time this season they've done so after a spike.
Atlanta settled for a 47-yard field goal from kicker Younghoe Koo, extending its lead to 13-7, and ultimately only missed out on a running play or sprint out pass, but the execution certainly wasn't as smooth as anybody had hoped.
Still, Smith believes the manner in which Heinicke handled the situation reflected how valuable his veteran presence was to the Falcons in Sunday's game.
“Him being aware, never realized the clock was set, but when a vet looks up, he knew it, that's what you want, and you play the long game,” Smith said. “But the presence of mind, being in those situations, understanding, ‘Hey, check-downs are good here.’ Seeing what they're playing. ‘You don't need to be greedy here.’
“Those are veteran things. That's not a shot at any young player, but that's what helps.”
Heinicke's poise put a bow on a strong first half, as he completed 16 of 22 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. The 30-year-old's second half wasn't much to write home about, as he went seven of 11 for 58 yards and no scores.
Of Heinicke's 23 completions, 14 came at or within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Eight of them were behind the line.
But perhaps the most important number from Heinicke's day is zero - the number of turnovers he and the offense had after recording at least one in 11 of the past 13 games.
“I thought we played a pretty clean game,” Heinicke said. “That's what we were trying to do. Obviously, the story of the season so far has been turnovers and self-inflicted wounds, and that was kind of our message this week, 'hey, let's not beat ourselves, let's make them go beat us.'”
Heinicke said his focus was getting the ball out of his hands quickly and letting his playmakers go to work.
The biggest beneficiary was rookie running back Bijan Robinson, who was Atlanta's leading rusher with 12 carries for 72 yards and leading receiver with seven grabs for 50 yards, solely on underneath concepts.
Robinson's 122 yards from scrimmage marked his fourth most this season and puts him at 1,246 scrimmage yards on the season. He's now just 86 yards away from breaking William Andrews' franchise rookie record.
It was another strong showing from Robinson - but he was quick to praise Heinicke postgame.
“He did great,” Robinson said. “Taylor’s a veteran in this league. He was calm and poised, and the way he delivered the ball was fun to watch today. I like when he throws the checkdowns to us so we can get some more yards, but he did a really good job today.
“It was fun to be a part of it.”
Atlanta's offense was heavy on the aerial attack early before turning to the run game late. Both worked, as the Falcons finished with 406 total yards of offense in a balanced effort, collecting 229 yards through the air and 177 on the ground.
Heinicke's turnover-free day helped the Falcons average 6.3 yards per play and record eight plays with gains of at least 16 yards.
“He kept the offense in rhythm,” Smith said. “We wanted to be aggressive, and he certainly executed the plan. It helps, he's got a lot of experience, and you could feel it, and we got into a lot of drives and a lot of guys contributed.
“I thought he did a phenomenal job today.”
Positive affirmations for Heinicke weren't limited to Atlanta's locker room.
Colts coach Shane Steichen was quick to note Heinicke's pocket management, as he was sacked only once and hit just four times while adding a 10-yard scramble.
“I think he did a good job,” Steichen said. “I think we were getting there. He made some good movements in the pocket to create some space, and that’s what he does a little bit. Credit to Atlanta to what they did on offense.”
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) greets owner Arthur Blank as he walks off the field following the Falcons 29-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Heinicke's now 2-0 in his career against Indianapolis, as he led the Washington Commanders to a 17-16 road victory in Week 8 last year.
That was Heinicke's second start in place of injured quarterback Carson Wentz. This time around, it was his third start of the season but first since being re-named the starter over Desmond Ridder some six days prior.
In a sense, Sunday was vintage Heinicke, according to Colts linebacker E.J. Speed, who had a team-high 13 tackles.
“Heinicke was Heinicke,” Speed said. “He played well. Congratulations to him and his team. He led his team to a win, a multi-digit win. Nothing bad to say about him. We’ll see him again, and I’ll play him again later on in my career.”
For as much scrutiny as the Falcons' quarterbacks have come under this season, nobody's carried a bigger burden - both for the team's results and offense's performance - than Smith.
Questions have emerged surrounding his job security after season's end, with owner Arthur Blank stating he'll evaluate the position at year's end.
But on Sunday, Smith made a resounding statement.
His offense was humming, his players were motivated, and the Falcons netted the biggest margin of victory in his three years at the helm.
Not to mention, Smith's game plan entering the day left the Colts scrambling.
“The stretch game, with the play action pass, the screens - honestly, I just felt like they had a good plan today,” Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner echoed similar sentiments, from the way Smith attacked Indianapolis' defense to the schematic curveballs he threw throughout the afternoon.
“They did a good job with their game plan,” Buckner said. “Mixing in the play action, switching up protections, different protections up front to get the ball out of Heinicke’s hand. They did a good job.”
The result was Atlanta's highest-scoring performance of the season, one that could've been better had it not settled for three redzone field goals, two of which came in goal-to-go scenarios.
Still, the Falcons were consistently effective, scoring on seven of their 10 possessions, including six of their final seven, and put points on the board in each quarter. Nine different players caught passes.
Atlanta was balanced, efficient and impressive en route to its best output this year.
“We’ve had previous games where we’ve been really in sync,” tight end Kyle Pitts said. “But obviously, we were more in sync this week and came out with the win. It’s just a steady climb.”
Atlanta's offense had struggled in two of its previous three games, posting 194 yards in a win over the New York Jets and 204 yards in a loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Sandwiched in between was a 394-yard, 25-point showing in a critical division loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that was undermined by a pair of turnovers from Ridder deep in his own territory.
With Heinicke under center, the Falcons combined production with a clean slate in the turnover department, though there were several close calls.
Still, Atlanta dominated - and it came in part to Heinicke's freedom-filled mentality that's spread throughout the locker room.
The eighth-year pro has long stressed he plays each snap, each game like it's his last. As such, he carries a 'what's the worst that can happen?' mindset.
This appeared as he threw a block for Robinson on a carry, and filtered to his teammates as Atlanta out-toughed Indianapolis ... with mental clarity in its back pocket.
“Just go out there and leave it all out on the field,” Heinicke said. “There's not a play where you want to look back and be like, 'I wish I did this or that.; Just go out there and play. See what you see. React. This game is supposed to be fun. That's why we started playing it.
“I think the guys had some juice coming out there today, and we played a good game.”
It may be too little too late, as the Falcons are still a game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South while also trailing the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams by a game in the wildcard race.
But still, as Blank continues to monitor Smith's performance in the closing weeks, a win like Sunday's could go a long way in keeping the 41-year-old on the sidelines.
Blank said making the playoffs was never a requirement for Smith to keep his job, but progress was.
The Falcons finished 7-10 in each of Smith's first two years, meaning they have two opportunities to better that mark.
They may need to win both, which would give Atlanta its first three-game winning streak in the same season under Smith and its first time finishing with a record above .500 in six years.
And in a situation filled with unknowns, there's but one certainty - the Falcons will continue playing their hearts out for Smith.
“Sometimes you can tell when the energy is bad in the locker room, you can tell change might be coming,” defensive end Calais Campbell said, via The Athletic. “We haven’t had that feeling. Just logically speaking, when you lose ballgames and you don’t achieve, people are going to get fired.
“But we’re definitely fighting to show we believe in him. I think he’s a great leader.”
It goes without saying one win - no matter how impressive - doesn't change the past three years of mediocre results, during which Smith's guided the Falcons to a 21-28 record.
Circumstances have been different each in year, with Atlanta undergoing a complete rebuild and spending $190 million this free agency with hopes of fielding a contender.
That hasn't happened - yet - but positive steps have been taken.
Now, the challenge for Atlanta becomes doing what it hasn't done all season: finding consistency and repeating this effort again on New Year's Eve, when the Falcons take on the Chicago Bears at 1 p.m. EST inside Soldier Field.
But in the meantime, Atlanta made this Christmas all the merrier ... and Smith and Heinicke's performances in a must-win game are certainly deserving of whatever presents may be left under their trees.
“We can enjoy our holidays with the win,” Heinicke said. “With the up-and-down season we've had, this is really special. Everyone is excited.”
