FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons’ path to the playoffs is simple but not likely.
If they beat New Orleans (8-8) on Sunday, and Carolina (2-14) beats Tampa Bay (8-8), the Falcons (7-9) will win the NFC South, enter the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 4 seed and host a postseason game next weekend at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Athletic’s projections say there is a 12.9 percent chance of that happening.
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“Like everything in life, you just have to focus on what your job is and the present,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Thankfully, we still have an opportunity.”
Smith, whose job status could depend on the outcome of those two games Sunday, said he won’t pay any attention to what’s going on in Carolina during the Falcons’ game but wouldn’t be surprised if announcements in the Superdome make his team aware of that game’s progress.
“Obviously, if you win, you’re going to want to know,” Smith said.
Smith said that communications between him and team owner Arthur Blank have been just as they usually are down the stretch of this season. Smith is 21-29 since taking over the team. If the Falcons lose to New Orleans, he will be 7-10 for the third straight season, but Smith is confident his team has not thrown in the towel this season.
“The way these guys prepare has been consistent all year,” he said. “Obviously, the results have not been what you want, but these guys have shown up ready to roll, and we’ve had our chances.”
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Quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who is expected to start Sunday if his injured ankle allows it, credited Smith with keeping the Falcons engaged even in a frustrating season.
“It starts with Art,” Heinicke said. “He loves football, loves to coach. If we were 2-14, I think we’d have the same energy. It’s special to be in the NFL. It doesn’t last forever. Every time you come to work it’s a special opportunity. You try to make the best of it and try to have fun with it.”
Defensive endings?
Both of Atlanta’s starting defensive ends will be free agents in the offseason. Both would consider returning to the Falcons next season, but neither is certain what the future holds.
Calais Campbell, who is tied for the team lead with 5 1/2 sacks, said he will play Sunday’s game “like it could be my last.”
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Whenever the season ends, Campbell will take “a couple weeks” to decide if he wants to return for a 17th NFL season.
“I can’t even consider it right now,” Campbell said. “I feel like it would be unfair to this game.”
Campbell has played in 258 professional games since being drafted by Arizona in the second round in 2008. He has 104 1/2 career sacks and has been named the league’s defensive player of the year (2017) and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2019).
“Usually by the time the Super Bowl comes around, you have that feeling of if you still have the itch and desire and if you’re feeling healthy enough,” he said. “From there, it’s just talk to my family and my support team and figure out what the offseason would look like and what I have to do to be good at and make the decision if I want to do that because it is a grind. It’s not going to be easy.”
Campbell, who has spent time with four teams, is playing on a one-year, $7 million deal in Atlanta this year. Only 49 players have more career sacks in NFL history than Campbell, according to unofficial records compiled by Pro Football Reference.
If he returns, he said he would consider playing for the Falcons again.
“I love the guys here. I think we have a great group,” he said. “There are a lot of factors that go into it, but if it is the bulk of the same people going forward, I think it’s a special group. We underachieved this year, but we’re trending in the right direction and guys are starting to believe and see how good they could be. I believe this could be a special place.”
Bud Dupree, who also has 5 1/2 sacks this season, definitely wants to play “a couple more years,” he said, but isn’t sure where it will be. The Macon, Ga., native is playing this season on a one-year, $3 million deal.
“It’s a dream come true being able to play for the Falcons,” he said. “This is home base, so it’s always going to be an option. It’s up to everybody else.”
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From ‘good’ to great
The Falcons have asked fourth-year cornerback A.J. Terrell to shadow the opponent’s top receiver this season more than that at any point in his career, and the results have been “good,” assistant head coach for defense Jerry Gray said.
“If you get matched up on the best receivers the ball is going to come your way a lot so you have to be prepared for it mentally. He is in that class,” Gray said. “I think he’s ready to take that next step. When I put you on the best guy, guess what? I expect you to win on the best guy.”
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Terrell, the Falcons’ first-round pick in 2020, hasn’t had an interception since 2021, but Gray isn’t surprised by that this season because of the way he’s being asked to play.
“Great man-to-man guys don’t get a lot of picks,” the coach said. “Don’t get discouraged because you don’t get a lot of interceptions. Get discouraged when you’re standing right next to a guy that catches the ball on you.”
Terrell will be playing on the final year of his rookie contract next season.
Patterson’s role diminished
Cordarrelle Patterson has 45 carries for 161 yards and nine catches for 38 yards this season, and it doesn’t seem like he thinks that’s enough. Patterson reposted a message this week on X, formerly Twitter, that stated, “It’s crazy how little we saw Cordarrelle Patterson this year. Arthur Smith didn’t use him creatively at all, and listed him as ‘Joker’ on the depth chart. The joke was on all of us.”
However, Smith indicated this week that his relationship with Patterson is fine.
“CP and I always have conversations. We have real, human conversations, and I will always keep those private with players,” Smith said. “I’d have a problem if somebody doesn’t want the ball. I’ve never had a problem with somebody who wants to work more.”
Patterson, 32, is in his 11th season in the NFL and his third in Atlanta. He was not in the locker room during Wednesday’s media availability. He had a career-high in scrimmage yards (1,166) in 2021 with the Falcons but has played only 15.8 percent of offensive snaps this season.
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Short on scoring
The Falcons are averaging 19 points per game, which is their seventh-lowest scoring output since the 2000 season, according to TruMedia. Atlanta could fall to 17.9 points per game, which would be the third-lowest scoring season since 2000, if it gets shut out in New Orleans.
(Top photo: Jamie Sabau / USA Today)
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