"Victory is the only option. Whatever it takes." – Sign on Falcons locker room door
"Today's game, like most in the NFL, is about winning the line of scrimmage. We did not do that on either side of the football. Offensively, our quarterback was under duress all day. We weren't able to establish the running game and I thought after the first couple of drives, at least we played a little bit better. We lost the turnover battle. You can't give the ball to our opponent, have them return it for a touchdown multiple times. That was the difference in the game." — Coach Mike Smith
"I wish I would've done a whole lot of things better. Ultimately, I'm the one that's held responsible. This is a 6-10 football team and there's one person that the record's attributed to, and that's the head football coach. We were 6-10 in 2014. There are a whole lot of things I could've done differently and better. They're all learning experiences, and I will take those and in the future make sure that I don't make the same mistakes that I made this season." Smith on what he could have done better this season.
"Look guys, I'm not going to comment about what you guys talk about, and what you guys have. There's distractions every day you go to work. When you go to work you have distractions at your work. When I go to work I have distractions at my work. I'm not going to comment about some report that probably has no validity to it." —Mike Smith on the report the Falcons hired a search firm to look for his replacement.
"It was one of those things where it felt like the Panthers could do no wrong. They just kept scoring and the next thing you know it, they're up 21-3. It was tough to get back in the game because it seemed like they would never let off the gas pedal and allow us back in the game." – Running back Devonta Freeman
"Coach Smith has been a great coach to us for seven years. He has done a lot of good things. We have been to the playoffs a bunch of times, won a lot of games, and it has been a very, very, very good time. I love that guy to death. I just do not know what is going to happen at this point. Hopefully, he is our coach next year but you never know. You never know in the NFL. It is a year-to-year thing." – Wide receiver Roddy White
"I think everyone was very disappointed. Obviously, you come into this game knowing what the consequences are, positive and negative. As a player and an athlete, you never allow yourself to think about it going in the wrong direction. You always have to have a positive mindset going in. I think these guys did all week. Then, when it doesn't happen, it's disappointing. That's part of the deal when you don't play well." – Quarterback Matt Ryan
"It's a sad ending to a long season. We came out flat today. No excuses for what happened on the field and they were the better team today." – Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux
"It was a lot of things. We threw ourselves in the hole pretty early. We were unable to save ourselves. We did everything we could, clawing, digging, scratching, but it did not work whatsoever. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot." – Left guard Justin Blalock
"Coach Smith is a helluva coach. He made me into the player that I am today. He pretty much jumpstarted my career when he got here. I've been a dominate player since he got here. The growth that I made was because of his coaching staff. That's why I'm here today." – Jonathan Babineaux on Coach Smith
"They came into our house and did what they had to do. Of course, we didn't want to lose like that, but every dog has their day." – Safety Kemal Ishmael
"It was surprising because there was so much on the line. We prepared well this week. We were confident. But for whatever reason, we didn't show up as a team. That's not acceptable. Definitely, the whole coaching staff believed in me. They brought me here as a first-round pick. They put me out there as a rookie. They let me learn and let me grow. I believe in them and they believe in me." – Cornerback Desmond Trufant
"Everybody is very disappointed. You come into this game understanding the consequences, negative and positive. As a player and as an athlete, you never allow yourself to think about it going in the wrong direction. You have to have a positive mindset. When it doesn't happen, it's tough. – Quarterback Matt Ryan
