Arthur Smith and Dennis Allen have a postgame chat 😳 pic.twitter.com/s469d2OcWq
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 7, 2024
Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith didn’t exactly shake hands with his New Orleans Saints counterpart Dennis Allen after coming up short in Sunday’s 48-17 loss, storming up to the Saints head coach at midfield. Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu returned an interception 74 yards to set up a Jamaal Williams touchdown run in the game’s final minutes when New Orleans was already leading by 24 points.
“What was that?” Smith snapped. The pair exchanged words as a hot mic picked up Smith’s complaints. “That was (expletive)ing bull(expletive).”
Allen responded with “I understand that” before they parted ways, though Smith continued to look over his shoulders and stare daggers at his counterpart.
Sure, Allen choosing to run up the score when the game was no longer in doubt is a little classless. It could be seen as improper or an affront to good sportsmanship. Smith certainly took offense to it. But you’re supposed to compete and if Smith didn’t want the Saints to score his defense should have gotten a stop. And when you’re playing a heated rivalry game like this, everything is on the table.
