Ex Falcons head coaches meet in exhilarating Week 10 matchup

The Falcons may be licking their wounds after a disappointing loss to the Saints, but they still sit atop the NFC South with a two-game lead over the Buccaneers, who also lost on Sunday.

It was a winnable game for Atlanta, especially considering the box score. The Falcons outproduced the Saints in every significant metric. The difference in the contest in New Orleans was stalled drives and missed field goals. Fortunately, everything is still in front of them. Everything is still copacetic in Atlanta.

That theme is consistent with a couple of old friends who met in Week 10. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn faced off against his successor Arthur Smith, who coordinates the Steelers’ offense.

Pittsburgh’s offense put up 28 points, but Washington put up 27 of their own points. It was an exciting game if you got to watch it while the Falcons were facing the Saints.

Russell Wilson has proved to be an upgrade over Justin Fields, and credit should be given to Smith for being successful with two different signal callers and limited weapons. Pittsburgh’s offense has dramatically improved from a year ago, and Arthur Smith deserves praise.

Meanwhile, Quinn and the Commanders are enjoying a resurgence of a season with Jayden Daniels, even if they fell in Week 10, but the former Falcons head coach has to do what he’s done all year — help his team rebound. The biggest game of the Commanders’ season is coming up on Thursday Night Football against the Eagles.

In that same breath, former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and the Steelers have a difficult stretch of games coming up too — Baltimore, at Cleveland, at Cincinnati, versus Cleveland, at Philadelphia, at Baltimore, versus Kansas City and Cincinnati. Smith will have his hands filled with some very good defenses in the Chiefs and Eagles, but the Bengals and Ravens (at least their pass defenses) are pathetic. It should be an exciting stretch for Steelers fans.

Commanders fans are playing with house money right now. Dan Quinn doesn’t have the talent to truly compete in the NFC, so regardless of how it works out, the days of being embarrassed to be a Washington fan are over.

The same can be said for Falcons fans too, even if their former head coaches are finding success in their new digs.

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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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