LISTEN: Despite Win, Were Falcons Outcoached By Lions Sunday?
Atlanta Falcons rookie head coach Arthur Smith won his seventh career game last Sunday against fellow rookie head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions.
However, in a game in which the Falcons were favored by a touchdown, the team won by just four points and would've lost on the final possession if not for linebacker Foye Oluokun's heroics.
The Falcons also benefitted from rookie Kyle Pitts' six catches and 102 yards in the win.
The talent was able to pull the team out of the woods, but did the coaching staff do enough to put the team in a position to succeed?
The Falcons winning seven games this season and still having a shot at the playoffs in January is an overachievement. While Smith has shown his inexperience as a coach at times, he has been able to shift the team towards a culture that has translated into wins.
Each one of the team's wins has been by eight points or less. The team isn't talented compared to the rest of the NFL, but they play well when the game is close.
The wins might look ugly, but the standings don't care about style , only substance.
On this episode of "Locked On Falcons," host Aaron Freeman shares his takeaways from the Falcons' 20-16 win over the Lions in Week 16.
He summarizes the game, including discussing the big days for Pitts and Oluokun, as well as grades out the Falcons offense, defense and special teams.
Then, he breaks down why he thought the Lions were the better-coached team and what it says about the Falcons' level of coaching and talent that they barely could pull off the victory on Sunday.
Aaron deals with all that and more on this episode of "Locked On Falcons." For more podcasts and information, join us here.
