It’s impossible to ever blame one individual for a loss at the NFL level. There are too many moving parts, but Raheem Morris is certainly the single biggest reason why the Falcons lost on Sunday Night Football to the Commanders and will likely miss the playoffs.
In two instances, one at the end of the first half and one at the end of the game, Morris failed to use timeouts and save the clock, costing the Falcons an opportunity for a touchdown at the half and a game-winning field goal at the end of the game.
On the first play of their final drive, Michael Penix Jr. took the snap with 40 seconds left and immediately put the Falcons in a good position by completing a pass to Darnell Mooney for 25 yards. Mooney was unable to get out of bounds, and instead of taking a timeout, Morris, like a deer in headlights, watched as his offense scramble to get to the line of scrimmage.
By the time the clock stopped after the next incompletion, over 20 seconds had passed, leaving the Falcons with just 17 seconds remaining. Eventually, Atlanta was forced to attempt a 56-yard field goal to win the game with replacement kicker Riley Patterson, who went on to miss the kick by about five yards.
Had the Falcons offense gotten five to ten more yards with their extra time, Patterson would’ve had a much better chance at winning the game. It was egregious clock management and directly cost the Falcons a postseason berth unless the Buccaneers somehow crumble in the season finale against the Saints.
What makes it all much worse is Raheem Morris’ post-game press conference, in which he responded, “Probably could have,” to a question about not using his timeouts.
#Falcons HC Raheem Morris on not using his timeouts:
“Probably could have. I thought the operation would be a lot faster there…in hindsight, could’ve been a better decision to take that timeout.” pic.twitter.com/Lm7DbpF8jJ
— Bryce Lewis (@Bryce_Lewis86) December 30, 2024
Thought the operation would be faster? Well, of course, that would be a reasonable thing to say with a veteran like Kirk Cousins, who has operated in situations like this many times. I would expect Cousins to either be quicker, call a timeout, or do anything other than let all of that time run off the clock.
But that wasn’t the case. The Falcons had a rookie starting his second game ever in primetime with the playoffs on the line. That’s a bogus excuse by Raheem Morris and a horrifying sign that the team doesn’t have the right guy for the job. This isn’t Morris’ first stint, and he’s coached in plenty of other big games, both as a winner and loser.
This is the kind of stuff that first-time head coaches make. Not a supposed experienced head coach with the season on the line.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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