Heading into Week 1 of the 2025 season, the Atlanta Falcons had intended to make the playoffs. But fast forward 13 weeks, and they’d be picking in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft if the season ended today. They’re sitting at 4–8, Michael Penix Jr. is done for the year, and Kirk Cousins has stepped in, but still couldn’t avoid another tight loss, this time to the New York Jets in Week 13.

However, when he was asked how he keeps the locker room together during a season this turbulent, the veteran quarterback made it clear the group hasn’t cracked. Instead, the players are still upbeat, motivated, and locked in.

“I do think that guys in general are positive people,” Cousins said. “They like football. They want to be here. They enjoy making plays, having opportunities. So, that’s not really a big concern of mine, just because of the type of guys we have here. And even as our head coach, his wiring is to be so positive and make it an enjoyable place to work that guys aren’t dragging.”

The 37-year-old quarterback insists the locker room is fine, even with the team underperforming. But the Falcons’ issues through 13 weeks don’t disappear just because Cousins says the vibes are good. Atlanta’s problems are real, and they start with its inability to beat teams it should handle. Yes, this is the same group that upset the Washington Commanders in Week 4 and shocked the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.

But it’s also the team that has dropped six of its last seven and is staring at another missed postseason. The culprits aren’t hard to find: an offense that sputters despite having Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London, a defense that struggles to get key stops, and a special teams unit that has repeatedly put them in a hole.

But their biggest issue is simple: The Falcons consistently come up short in games where they’re supposed to be the better team. They’re 1–6 in matchups where they entered as clear favorites, including losses to the Miami Dolphins, the Jets, and a full-season sweep by the Carolina Panthers. And Week 13 was the latest example.

Despite outgaining the Jets 389–269, riding Robinson’s 142 rushing yards and a touchdown, and getting a clean 234-yard, one-score outing from Cousins, Atlanta still slipped up. A disastrous special teams performance, highlighted by Nick Folk’s missed 55-yard field goal, proved costly in a 27–24 defeat.

So yes, the calendar has rolled into December, and Kirk Cousins believes the team is still locked in. But even with that optimism, the Falcons remain one of the most inconsistent and unpredictable teams in the league this year. Still, though, the head coach, Raheem Morris, is ready to back his players.

Raheem Morris loves taking the bullets for his guys

The Falcons’ 2025 season has come apart in just about every way possible. The losses keep stacking up, they can’t finish tight games, and the quarterback injuries have only made a messy situation even harder to stabilize. Naturally, the outside criticism has grown louder by the week. But through all of it, Raheem Morris hasn’t flinched. Instead, he continues to stand behind his players and absorb the heat himself.

“I love taking the bullets for my guys,” he said. “That’ll never change. When a guy makes a mistake, what could I do better to help him? That’s the way we look at it as coaches. That’s the way we look at it as players.”

Those bullets have come in the form of a long list of issues. It starts with the Falcons’ inability to close out tight games. In their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they took a late lead, gave up a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute, and then missed the field goal that could’ve forced overtime.

And it’s been the same script over and over. Five of their eight losses have come by one score, with four of them by three points or less. Besides, they’re 0-2 in overtime games. But even with all that mounting criticism, Morris refuses to point fingers. He wants everyone to take accountability.

“There is an accountability to all of us,” he said. “We all have the accountability in this game. We’re entertainers, and our job is to go entertain. But at the same time, finger-pointing and absolutely being honest with each other are two different things. I’ll always be honest, but I’m never going to point fingers.”

At 4–8, the Falcons now turn their attention to a 9–3 Seattle Seahawks team coming into town on Sunday. A losing season feels all but inevitable at this point. But Morris and Kirk Cousins will still be looking to squeeze whatever they can out of the final stretch.