Falcons coach Mike Smith was not happy with his team’s effort in their 45-16 loss to the Saints on Monday night.
“It’s not the type of effort you want to have when so much is on the line in terms of what the outcome could have meant to our football team,” Smith said after the game.
The Falcons would have stayed alive in the NFC South with a win. Instead they’re guaranteed a wild card, likely the No. 6 seed. That means Atlanta will have to win three road games in the postseason to get to the Super Bowl. Smith doesn’t think his team is peaking at the right time.
“We didn’t play well enough really in any phase of the game tonight to give us a chance to win,” Smith said. “We were not on the top of our game in any phase of our football team.”
There’s a very good chance the Falcons will be back in New Orleans for a playoff game in 11 or 12 days. They’re going to need a much, much better effort to avoid being one and done in the postseason.