Falcons coach Arthur Smith is candid about his team’s offensive growth.

Head coach Arthur Smith and the Atlanta Falcons have had an up-and-down start to the 2023-24 NFL season. The Falcons are currently 5-6 and first in the NFC South after a home win over their rivals, the New Orleans Saints, but Smith has come under fire from fans for his unusual lack of use of his key players, especially rookie running back Bijan Robinson.

Some of those concerns were addressed, at least partially, in the win over the Saints, as Robinson led the team with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and now, Smith is being completely honest about the progress he has seen from both Bijan Robinson and the Falcons’ offensive unit as a whole this season.

“We’ve got a lot of good offensive players,” said Smith, per ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show. “I thought [Bijan Robinson] played pretty well last week. I thought the offensive line played really well. It was probably their best game, and all three runners got involved. We’ve got a lot of good weapons. That’s the encouraging thing. We’re hopefully hitting our stride as we get into December.”

Despite their subpar record, the Falcons have a legitimate chance to host a playoff game next month due to the general ineptitude of the NFC South, and with an upcoming schedule that (in theory) would not appear to be very strenuous, Falcons fans will hope that Smith continues to get the ball to playmakers like Robinson in the coming weeks.