The lasting image of the Atlanta Falcons’ 2023 season ended in a fiery, vulgar tone down in New Orleans.
Already eliminated from the playoff picture, the Falcons kept things close for the first half until the Saints scored 31 unanswered to roll into a 48-17 win. However, the final score wasn’t the topic of discussion after the game — it was an NSFW moment involving Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith.
Arthur Smith Caught in Vulgar Rant After the Game
Instead of running out the clock, the Saints opted to run up the score. Out of the victory formation, Jamaal Williams instead powers it in with under 1:15 left and the Saints already up by 24.
Take it away Jamaal 😏#Saints | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/L8vZjocAzQ
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 7, 2024
Smith got heated and confronted Saints head coach Dennis Allen. And through a hot mic, the third-year Falcons head coach was overheard unloading vulgarities.
“The f— you do that for?” Smith is overheard telling Allen.
Allen is seen grabbing Smith to try to ease some tensions, even saying, “I understand.” However, Smith was still in a fiery mood.
“That’s bull—-,” Smith yelled toward Allen while walking away, but he didn’t leave without yelling “F— you” to the Saints head coach.
Arthur Smith and Dennis Allen have a postgame chat 😳 pic.twitter.com/s469d2OcWq
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 7, 2024
Both head coaches didn’t shake hands after the game.
The field reaction also drew a response from the CBS broadcast crew of Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barker, and Falcons legend Matt Ryan.
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“Oh, Arthur Smith is hot that Dennis Allen scored a touchdown at the end,” Catalon said. “He is hot. He said, ‘What are you doing?’ You can read his lips.”
Social Reactions Call for Smith To Be Fired
Unfortunately, to worsen things for Smith, Sunday’s Week 18 debacle could end up becoming his final game as Falcons head coach.
Many fans have called for Smith to be fired before the regular season finale. Now, his profanity-laced postgame rant just may very well seal his fate. Even Barber didn’t defend Smith and believed the Falcons could’ve still halted the Williams rushing score.
“This is football, man. You have the right to do whatever the hell you want,” Barber said. “So, with all due respect to Arthur Smith’s opinion there, stop them.”
"This is football man. You have the right to do whatever the hell you want." – Tiki Barber on Arthur Smith's postgame tirade pic.twitter.com/ONXPGVdyoz
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 7, 2024
One fan was more blunt, calling Smith’s actions a loser move and referring to Smith as “soft.”
“This is the biggest loser move of all time, complaining that you got beat too bad is soft, Falcons gotta fire Arthur Smith before he even gets on the plane tonight,” the fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
One more account encouraged Smith to hit the road.
“Arthur Smith experiencing how we’ve all felt watching his offense every Sunday for three years. Hit the road, jack,” the account posted.
Dennis Allen Speaks After Heated Rant
Meanwhile, on the Saints’ side, how did Allen feel after being the recipient of that trending heated moment?
He was apologetic toward Smith and the Falcons.
“That’s not who we are. That’s not how we operate,” Allen told reporters postgame. “We should’ve taken the knee. I want to apologize to him.”
Allen continued, “We’ve got a good rivalry, and it’s a heated rivalry, but there’s a way we go about doing our business, and I wasn’t happy about that.”
Dennis Allen started off his presser by apologizing to Arthur Smith for the end-of-game TD. The play was supposed to be a kneel-down … but the players were committed to getting Jamaal Williams a touchdown. Bizarre situation, to say the least. #Saints pic.twitter.com/O17qKPkEil
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) January 7, 2024
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