Former Titans OC Arthur Smith returns to Nashville with first-place Falcons

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

The timing is good for Arthur Smith’s return to Nashville, with his Falcons now 4-3 and atop the NFC South standings as they visit the Titans and a place where he coached for 10 years before coming to Atlanta in 2021.

Smith, always careful to not make one game seem more important than another to him or his team, admits that Sunday’s game holds personal connections, but it’s just another game he wants his team to win.

“I am from Memphis,” Smith said Tuesday, fresh off a 16-13 win over Tampa Bay. “I was fortunate to be there [with the Titans] for 10 years, but it’s going to be about the players for us and the Titans on Sunday. A lot of good friends and colleagues that I was fortunate to work with. Some of them are still on the coaching staff. A lot of people, the equipment and support staff, just thankful for my time there.”

Smith was only 29 when he got his first NFL job with the Titans 2011, working as a low-level assistant for five years before becoming the tight ends coach in 2016. From there, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 and did that for two years before he was hired by the Falcons in 2021. He stayed in Tennessee under four head coaches, and remains close with current coach Mike Vrabel, suggesting the two could have a “vest exchange” much like players do with jersey swaps after Sunday’s game.

And with that, he knows not to take the Titans lightly, even if they’re 2-4 and will be without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is sidelined by an ankle injury. Second-round pick Will Levis is reportedly slated to make his NFL debut.

“I know this. They’re coming off a bye week. Vrabes will have them ready to go,” Smith said. “Regardless of who plays quarterback, I promise you, they will be ready. We have to be ready to roll. This will be our toughest challenge, going on the road, game we need to win. … They will make you earn everything. … It will be a tough, physical game. We have to minimize our mistakes and be ready to go execute.”

A trip home isn’t as significant for Smith as a trip, period — the Falcons have struggled on the road, losing eight in a row before Sunday’s win in Tampa, and 11 of their past 13 road games. If they’re going to hold onto their divisional lead, they’ll need to change that. They alternate road and home games for the next nine weeks, with the chance to take care of business against teams with losing records away from home.

Sunday is a chance for Atlanta’s defense to show how dominant it has been. The Falcons rank in the top 10 in perhaps the six most important statistics: ninth in scoring defense, third in yards allowed, eighth against the run, seventh against the pass, third on third downs and fifth in the red zone. They ranked in the bottom 10 of the league in five of those six categories last year.

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Tennessee, meanwhile, is struggling offensively, ranking in the bottom five in yards (28th), passing (30th), third down (28th), sack percentage (30th) and interception percentage (30th). Even their vaunted run game, led by Derrick Henry, ranks 19th in rushing yards. What’s more, the Titans are sellers at the trade deadline, dealing All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles this week for a pair of low-round picks, with potentially more moves coming.

Could there be another reunion ahead? If the Titans wanted to move on from Tannehill, one logical trade partner would be Atlanta, especially if Desmond Ridder continues to struggle with turnovers. Tannehill’s lone Pro Bowl season came in 2019 with Smith as his coordinator, and he went 18-8 as a starter with Smith running the offense. Tennessee would need to eat a considerable portion of Tannehill’s $27 million base salary to make any trade work.

Atlanta comes in as a first-place team, but the Falcons have their share of problems as well. Ridder has had three turnovers in each of the past two games, with three interceptions in the second half of a loss at the Commanders, and three red-zone fumbles in Sunday’s win against the Bucs. The Falcons have the second-worst turnover margin in the NFL at minus-7, something else they’ll need to change if they want to win consistently the rest of the way. They should have rookie running back Bijan Robinson back at close to full health, after he was limited to a single carry against the Bucs after not feeling well the night before the game.

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The Falcons have one of the easiest schedules in the league, and none of their 10 remaining opponents has a winning record right now. None of their four wins came against teams with a winning record, so they have a path to a division title just by getting it done consistently against teams with worse records. That starts with Sunday and Tennessee, and another chance to validate themselves as the team to beat in the NFC South.

“When you’re taking a team on the road, you have to find a way to win,” Smith said. “We were able to do that [Sunday]. However it played out, what you have to give our guys credit for is it’s a resilient group. They don’t flinch in pressure moments whether on defense or going down to cover a punt or certainly on offense. That’s a couple of games now that we’ve won, even with this young group, handling situational football pretty well.”

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.