Younghoe Koo’s Atlanta chapter hit rock bottom last Sunday, September 7. With the game on the line against the Buccaneers, Koo lined up for a 44-yard FG that could have tied it at 23. The stadium held its breath. Then, heartbreak. The kick sailed wide right, caroming off the upright, and the Falcons walked off the field stunned and empty-handed. It felt like the moment where Raheem Morris’ faith finally cracked. That miss did not just cost Atlanta a win; it cost Koo his starting job, at least for now.

By September 13 afternoon, the team ruled Koo out for Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons made it clear this was not injury-related. They simply decided they needed someone else. Enter John Parker Romo, a Georgia native who went 11-of-12 on field goals for the Vikings last season and was signed earlier this week on Tuesday, September 9. The Falcons elevated Romo from the practice squad, handing him all kicking duties on Sunday Night Football, September 14.

Koo’s benching hits differently because of what he represents. The 31-year-old is one of only a handful of South Korean-born players to ever make it in the NFL, and he once stood as a symbol of precision and reliability. Now, that very reputation is under siege.

Atlanta’s special teams coordinator, Marquice Williams, did not hold back his praise for Romo’s readiness. “He came into a situation last year when he took over for Will Reichard in Minnesota and he did a great job,” Williams said Friday, September 12. “You join a team in the middle of the season, that is stress and that is some type of adversity going there to keep the ball rolling with that team that he was with. His leg strength, his experience. I like his attitude. I like his poise.”

And frankly, the Falcons needed a change. Koo has gone from one of the NFL’s most reliable kickers to one of its least. He is just 12-of-20 on field goals over his last nine games and missed nine kicks last season, a 73.5% conversion rate, his lowest since joining Atlanta as a full-time kicker in 2019. Last Sunday’s miss meant, Koo now stands at 11 of 16 (68.5%) on last-minute game-tying or game-winning field goal attempts.

These are all factors that have fueled doubts about him, and Koo is well aware. “The frustration just came out of just disappointment in myself and knowing that I know I’m better than that,” Koo said Monday, September 8. “On top of that, I let the guys down.” His words were raw, but the reality is brutal. In the NFL, sentiment does not keep your job safe.

Raheem Morris pushing for success

Head coach Raheem Morris made sure the entire locker room understood why this move was made. “That’s cut-and-dry position, right? You either make it or you don’t, and we’ve got to have guys in a position to make them,” Morris said on Wednesday, September 10. “You want to go out and try to win games, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation if you make those kicks, you make them all clean, and that’s not the conversation. But we put it on ourselves, and now we’ve got to go out there and we’ve got to be ready to deal and be ready to make the best out of it.”

That urgency is no accident. Morris knows what is at stake. This is his second stint as a head coach, after going 17-31 with Tampa Bay from 2009 to 2011 and serving as the Falcons’ interim coach in 2020, where he went 4-7. Now that he is back with Atlanta full-time, every decision is about proving he can deliver a winning season. With a tough NFC South, he cannot afford to lose winnable games because of shaky special teams.

Raheem Morris’ decision also serves notice to the entire roster. If a fan favorite like Koo can get benched after one brutal mistake, no one is safe. This is accountability in real time, and the Falcons are daring their players to respond.

For Romo, this is a chance to grab hold of the job and not let go. If he delivers under the lights Sunday night in Minneapolis, Atlanta may just have found its next long-term kicker. For Koo, this is now more than just a slump; it is a battle to prove he still belongs. Once the pride of South Korean football fans and the NFL’s most accurate kicker, he now stands at a crossroads. If Romo thrives, Koo’s Falcons career might be over before October even begins.