The Falcons are 7-2 in one-score games, as Arthur Smith explained to reporters after Sunday’s 20-13 win against the Detroit Lions. That’s cause for celebration – especially given how this team has performed in close games the last few years – but when the team’s overall record is 7-8, it’s a bit more concerning.
This team knows how to beat comparable or bad teams, which may be the same thing, but it has still not reached the point of putting these teams away handily. All of these games have been close, and while the wins are certainly better than the alternative, incremental improvement can only take a team so far.