FLOWERY BRANCH — An obviously dejected Falcons coach Raheem Morris addressed how the once-promising 2024 regular season went off the rails.
The Falcons were the fashionable offseason pick to win the NFC South after signing quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency and hiring Morris, who was the defensive coordinator of the Rams.
The Falcons looked like a great pick as they started the season 6-3. But in New Orleans for their 10th game of the season, things started to unravel as normally dependable kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field-goal attempts, and Cousins whiffed on four fourth-quarter drives. The Falcons would go on to win only two of their final eight games (against Desmond Ridder and the Raiders and Drew Lock and the Giants.)
The slide into the middle of the NFL left the Falcons with an 8-9 record and in the No. 9 spot in the NFC standings, short of the seven-team NFC playoffs and out of the postseason for the seventh consecutive season.
The Falcons and Panthers have the second longest playoff drought in the NFL behind the New York Jets, who missed the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.