2023 NFL Team Draft Page

Arthur Smith is not a man for moral victories, so the fact that the Falcons have covered the spread in both losses against playoff caliber teams is not something that he's happy about. Still, it does suggest that a team routinely picked to be among the worst in football could be competitive, even with the staggering cap limitations that they are laboring under this season.


There is no doubt that the dispiriting last minute loss to archrival New Orleans brought back a flood of painful memories for Falcons' fans, but there was some decent football played before then. While the exact opposite was true in Los Angeles (a failed but furious comeback attempt), in both cases two things are clear: Atlanta has shown some fight and ability, but an overall lack of elite talent and depth are going to limit this team.

It will be important for Smith to make sure that Atlanta wins games against weaker opponents in order to "change the culture" before next season. Smith may not like calling this season a rebuilding one, but it self-evidently is, and these results are...kinda OK for a rebuilding team. A talent infusion on defense, especially in the trenches , could be the priority in next spring's draft.