While Falcons fans watched the Wild Card weekend from the couch, there were plenty of old friends on the big stage. Most notably Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who experienced wildly different outcomes in the first round of the postseason.
In Baltimore, Smith’s offense floundered. In Tampa Bay, Quinn’s team flourished in the waning minutes of Sunday’s final playoff contest. It was a tale of two cities for the former Falcons head coaches.
While a lot has changed for Quinn, he’s still the same coach at heart. No team was more successful on fourth downs than the Commanders this season, a consistent theme of Quinn’s teams, and it continued against the Buccaneers.
Even though the Commanders only converted two of their four fourth-down attempts, Quinn lives by the philosphy that seven is bigger than three. One successfully converted fourth down and an ensuing touchdown will make up for two unsuccessful attempts.
This is exactly what happened. The Commanders, behind Quinn’s bold strategy, scored 14 points following two successful fourth-down attempts while failing two other times. If Zane Gonzalez had made all four attempts, it would’ve only netted 12 points.
It’s a game of inches, and the Commanders, with the help of the future Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, topped the NFC South champion Bucs. It wasn’t a game of inches in Baltimore, though.
After beginning the year 10-3, the Steelers lost their final four games of the regular season, then their fifth consecutive game in the Wild Card round. By halftime, Pittsburgh trailed Baltimore 21-0. Arthur Smith’s offense had been outgained 308-59; the Ravens had 19 first-half first downs compared to the Steelers’ two.
There was a slight glimmer of hope in the second half when Arthur Smith dialed up a drive that finally hit a couple of big plays, including a 30-yard touchdown to old Falcons friend Van Jefferson. However, the Steelers were running into a buzzsaw, which was the Ravens. Baltimore answered immediately, picking up a second-and-20 before Derrick Henry broke off a 44-yard touchdown run.
As Steelers fans grapple with another early playoff exit, Falcons fans are watching a story they’ve already seen unfold with Arthur Smith and Dan Quinn. They’ve seen the highs of Quinn, even exactly how the Commanders have gotten there, and the troubles that have plagued Smith and his offense.
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Photographer: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire
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