Arthur Smith on loss to Panthers: 'We've got to do everything better'
The Atlanta Falcons were out of sync offensively for the duration of Thursday night’s 25-15 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Without a ground attack to rely on, the team looked to quarterback Marcus Mariota, who couldn’t get anything going until the fourth quarter.
Mariota’s overall numbers could lead you to believe it was one of his better games, but the Falcons QB put the ball into harm’s way multiple times. In his defense, it was a really poor performance from Atlanta’s offensive line.
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Ultimately, Thursday’s game showed what happens to the Falcons offense when it can’t establish the run.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith addressed the media after the game, but he didn’t sound like a man about to make a quarterback change.
"There’s a lot of things that we’ve got to do better, and it starts everywhere," Smith said. "It starts at the top with me. There’s a lot more that goes into quarterback play than just stats and we got to protect better. We’ve got to do everything better."
The Falcons mustered 291 total yards. The offense struggled on third down as the converted just 3 of 12 attempts. Mariota completed 19 of 30 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
However, he was sacked five times and held onto the football too long in crucial moments.
When asked directly about the quarterback situation, Smith continued to focus on the team’s overall performance.
"You can make it about the quarterback, how ’bout about the team?"
Several fans have clamored for rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder to get his opportunity. The Falcons have not made a decision on whether Ridder will get a chance under center.
The Falcons will play the Chicago Bears in Week 11 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Paste BN Sports producer Jaylon Thompson contributed to this report.