Arthur Smith: Nobody is happy to be 5-7, but we’re…

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After Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, the Falcons have fallen to 5-7 in Arthur Smith’s first season as the team’s head coach.

The club had moved to 5-6 with a victory over the Jaguars in Week 12. And Atlanta did keep things close for much of Sunday against Tampa Bay. But the Falcons didn’t score any points in the second half of the loss.

Atlanta is one of four teams in the NFC with a 5-7 record. The Rams lead the NFC’s wild card race at 8-4, but Washington and San Francisco are the current No. 6 and No. 7 seeds at 6-6.

That means there’s plenty of opportunity for a team like the Falcons to claim a playoff spot. And Smith knows it.

“Nobody is happy to be 5-7, but we are not out of it,” Smith said Monday, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

What could keep Atlanta in the mix is its schedule. The Falcons play the Panthers, 49ers, Lions, Bills, and Saints in the last five weeks.

However, the Falcons’ five wins have come over the Giants, Jets, Dolphins, Saints, and Jaguars — hardly a list of teams to write home about.

But if the Falcons get hot and make the postseason, it won’t matter much who they beat to get there.