The Atlanta Falcons walked away from Sunday with more confusion than clarity after falling 27-24 to the New York Jets. Both the offense and defense had the Jets under their hold, but the special teams couldn’t follow suit. Head coach Raheem Morris didn’t let it go easily and addressed the issues without hesitation.

“We just haven’t played well,” he said, via Tori McElhaney’s post on X. “We have not had the consistency you need to go out there and dominate field position. It’s a lot of different factors, but we gotta be better.”

The head coach didn’t mince words while discussing the Falcons’ collapse on special teams. According to McElhaney, he specifically slammed wide receiver Jamal Agnew’s costly decision to attempt a risky punt catch that resulted in a muffed ball. In fact, it gifted the Jets a prime field position at the two-yard line, and they secured their first touchdown with an 83-yard kick return.

Meanwhile, kicker Zane Gonzalez added more to the woes by missing a 50-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Falcons’ poor punt coverage allowed the opponents to return the ball 16 yards. It was enough to set up the game-winning kick for the Jets. For a team whose other units put up a strong fight, the special teams’ errors flipped the game in New York’s favor.

“You gave yourself a chance on offense and defense,” Morris added. “We did not on special teams today.” 

According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, the team is surrendering a league-worst 29.8 yards per return. In last week’s game, the Falcons gave up a costly 75-yard kick return to the New Orleans Saints. Reacting to the performance, Raheem Morris had said the team must “tackle” the issue. However, if the unit continues to underperform, Morris may need to adjust his game plan. Meanwhile, the offense has its own lingering matters to address.

Kirk Cousins sets clear short-term targets

After the Week 13 loss, the Falcons haven’t been able to overcome their persistent third-down struggles. Out of 12 of their third-down attempts, they recorded a conversion rate of just 33%. It is exactly what the team has averaged all season, ranking near the bottom of the league at 29th place. The team hasn’t crossed the 40% mark on third downs since Week 7. Quarterback Kirk Cousins addressed his squad’s third-down struggles while suggesting an immediate goal, per McElhaney. 

“Third down today, again, was not as good as we want it to be,” he said. “We would love to see in five weeks from now that it’s something different.”

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The Falcons ranked ninth in the NFL earlier in the season, converting 42% of their third downs. However, everything changed after Week 8 as they slipped to the bottom with a brutal 22% third-down conversion rate and remained there until Week 13. With the rest of the season ahead, Cousins would like his unit to work on its shortcomings and make lasting improvements. 

Be it special-teams lapses or continuous third-down woes, Raheem Morris’ team can’t afford any slip-ups now. Already ranking third in the NFC South with a 4-8 record, the team needs to be more careful than ever as the season enters its most crucial stretch.