ATLANTA – First-year coach Arthur Smith has been adamant the Atlanta Falcons can run the ball effectively no matter the opponent.
Turns out he was right.
The Falcons have rushed for 398 yards the last three weeks against Carolina, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, each of which is ranked in the top half of the league in run defense. They are 2-1 over that span and are still in the NFC playoff hunt at 6-7.
“You’re starting to see some of that hard work pay off,” Smith said a day after Atlanta won 29-21 at Carolina. “You want to do things a certain way, but it’s a long, hard journey. Certainly at times you want things sooner rather than later, but that’s why we didn’t panic and give up on the run game. We know how we want to play and the style, and it’s a credit to those guys up front.
“They’ll continue to work. I thought they played really physical. I thought they finished well yesterday. The key being can we go out to San Fran and do it again?”