Steve Sarkisian Will Return as Falcons OC Amid Criticism

Steve Sarkisian will return for his second season as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2018.

Per the Falcons' official Twitter account, head coach Dan Quinn announced Sarkisian would return and defended his offensive coordinator from the criticism he received after Saturday's NFC Divisional Round loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

"Placing blame on one person would be wrong in this instance... if this was about one person, that decision would've already been made," Quinn said. 

Following a 15-10 loss to the Eagles, Quinn explained the final offensive play call, with quarterback Matt Ryan rolling to his right on a designed pass to go to Julio Jones on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line with 1:05 remaining. 

"As a former defensive coordinator, I recognize that's a play people do deploy," Quinn told reporters. "We were looking for that opportunity, that matchup on that specific play. So that's what thought was going to be the best play call for that time."

Jones fell down on the play, leading Ryan to hold the ball until his receiver could recover. His pass ultimately landed incomplete to end Atlanta's season. 

The Falcons hired Sarkisian to take over after Kyle Shanahan was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers last February. 

Atlanta led the NFL with 33.8 points per game, and Ryan was named NFL MVP in 2016 under Shanahan. The offense suffered a steep drop in performance with Sarkisian in charge, finishing 15th overall with 22.1 points per game.