Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Wednesday, Dec. 22

Your family is on the way. The decorations are in a box somewhere covered in black widow eggs. A guy with a Rudolph nose on the grill of his SUV just cut you off and brake-checked you when you honked.

Sounds like you need Falcoholinks to change the pace of your day.

Patience, and a litmus test of a season

While the Falcons’ messaging from the start of 2021 strongly conveyed that this team — with its new regime and generational draft pick — was poised to compete, it only took a couple of games for anyone watching to recognize that as a bill of goods.

Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot were handed a franchise in dire straits money-wise, and frankly, bereft of talent on both sides of the ball. 2021 simply wasn’t going to be the year.

That sad, sad reality is one of the primary reasons that you should put away the pitchforks for a bit when it comes to Arthur Smith. It’s very Christmas Miracle-y that Atlanta was still even in the playoff conversation until last week’s game against the 49ers, but the final three contests will provide a decent measuring stick for where this franchise is — and where it needs to go.

RB Lamar Miller gets a workout

While Cordarrelle Patterson and Mike Davis have done a solid job on the ground this season, that hasn’t stopped the Falcons from exploring depth options.

Yesterday the team worked out a few players, including running back Lamar Miller.

Transactions

A few roster moves on Tuesday for Atlanta. A couple of players you’ve definitely heard of were elevated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, as well as the addition of safety Shawn Williams to the active roster.

SNAP COUNTS

Dive into the data behind the depression from Sunday’s loss against San Francisco.

Hat tips ‘n head-scratchers

Sunday’s game started off as best you could hope for. The rest of the contest: not so much. We charted the highs and lows that likely eliminated Atlanta from playoff contention.