Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris praised the team after their 24-23 loss against the New England Patriots. Despite the fans’ heartbreak, Morris showed great faith in the team and did not shy away from accepting the mistakes he believed the team had made.
Morris harped on the “uncommon effort” players displayed, especially players like wide receiver Drake London, who had nine catches for 118 yards and three touchdowns, a hat trick for the game today. Michael Penix Jr. was 22-of-37 for 221 yards and three touchdowns, with no turnovers, taking care of the ball well.
Michael Penix Jr.’s Crucial Penalty
Penix Jr. had a crucial intentional grounding penalty during the game late in the 4th quarter. The game was 24-23 with a little over 2 minutes left. The young quarterback received the snap before he intended to and threw it towards tight end Kyle Pitt Sr., but the throw was in the wrong direction, which prompted the penalty.
According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Morris stated in the postgame press conference that the Patriots’ defense “simulated” the snap by clapping, a common tactic quarterbacks use to signal their desire for the ball.
Morris said, “They did a nice job, they simulated the snap, the ball came early, was snapped early, within that snap that was when we got the intentional grounding. Nice job by those guys. Great situational football, great play.”
Morris added, “They were clapping and simulated our snap. That’s why the ball got snapped early and Mike wasn’t ready for the snap.”
Regarding the play, Penix Jr. iterated on the reason for the mishap, saying,
“Whenever I’m clapping, that means I want the ball, and Neuzil said he heard them clapping and he thought it was my clapping. He snapped the ball, I threw the ball in Pitts’ direction. He had just released on routes. I thought I was going to be OK with the grounding part, but obviously that wasn’t the case.”
Game Analysis
The Falcons played a good game overall, but their efforts weren’t enough to get the win over New England. The running back game didn’t perform well, which hindered them somewhat, but even with that, they scored more than 20 points, something they hadn’t done in their last two games. Despite the rush attack being halted, the passing game looked great. Three different pass catchers had four or more receptions.
Defensive played well, sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times. They got pressure on Maye, but he was still able to find his receivers and hit them for big plays downfield. The Patriots’ offense got better as the game went along, scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter.
Also Read: What Went Right and Wrong in Falcons’ Nailbiter Loss to Patriots
Falcons Kicker Parker Romo missed an extra point attempt after a Drake London touchdown late in the fourth quarter, which would have tied the game. Romo made every PAT other than the one late in the game and even made a 38-yard field goal. The Falcons put forth a reasonable effort, but they didn’t get it done today, despite having a chance to.
PFSN’s Offense Impact grades the Falcons C- with an Offensive Impact score of 72.3 and a 73.7 score by PFSN’s Defense Impact. The Falcons will face off against the Indianapolis Colts for their Week 10 game in Germany on Sunday.