The Falcons plan to work out multiple kickers this week with the hope of finding one to compete with Koo and potentially take his job before Sunday night’s game against Minnesota.
“We have to go out there and look,” Morris said the day after Koo missed a 44-yard field goal that would have tied Atlanta’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with two seconds remaining. “(It) definitely creates more of a sense of urgency to have that competitive edge for Koo. That’s where we’re at.”
Atlanta will add a kicker this week if it sees someone who “looks like they are ready to come in and compete,” Morris said. This is the point where every Atlanta fan is screaming, “Anyone would be better!”
That’s an understandable but unhelpful reaction. Koo’s struggles date to Week 5 last year, when he missed two field goals in a 36-30 overtime win over the Buccaneers. He would miss three more in a three-point loss to the Saints in Week 10. Since the start of 2024, Koo is 31st in success rate (73 percent) among kickers with at least 15 attempts. On Sunday, he missed the landing area on one of his kickoff attempts and hit the upright on a successful extra point attempt in addition to his missed field goal.
His struggles have gotten so bad that Morris said Monday that it affects the way he calls games. So why not make a change? Because from 2019 through 2023, Koo made 89.9 percent of his kicks, the fourth-highest percentage among kickers with more than 50 attempts in that time period. In Week 4 last year, he was 4-for-4 against the New Orleans Saints and hit a game-winning 58-yarder at the buzzer. That’s why Morris said in the preseason that Koo had built up “emotional bank accounts” with the coach.
The Falcons signed placekicker Lenny Krieg in the offseason through the league’s International Player Pathway program and let him compete with Koo in training camp, and the veteran “had an outstanding offseason,” Morris said.
So now Morris is faced with this choice: Roll the dice that Koo can find his form again, roll the dice that Krieg, who has only kicked in Europe, is ready for the moment or roll the dice on one of the players the team works out this week. The point is, it’s all a roll of the dice.
Morris and Koo had “a great, honest” conversation Monday, the coach said, and Koo understands his job is at stake.
“Unfortunately, we have been having this conversation more than I would like to,” Koo said. “Just got to get back to work, definitely frustrated. Had a great offseason, great camp. Two weeks leading into Week 1, I felt great. I still do.”
Koo blamed the miss on an in-game adjustment he made after hitting the turf early on an earlier kick.
“I know better than that. I just have to do a better job there,” he said. “It means the world for the (other players) to have my back, but at the end of the day, I have to do my job.”
Now Morris has to decide if he can still do it. Atlanta might find a great kicker on the free-agent market. That’s where it found Koo in 2019, but it’s also where it found Riley Patterson last year, and he went 4-for-7 in three games while filling in for Koo.
It may be time for Atlanta to move on from Koo, but it’s not helpful to act like it’s an easy decision.
Wide receiver rotation in flux
Wide receiver Drake London’s status remains in question after he left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter due to a shoulder injury.
“Drake is a tough human,” Morris said. “I feel good about it after talking to him. I just want to get some clarity before I answer. I won’t be able to confirm anything until Wednesday.”
“Saying prayers for him and a speedy recovery, but in the game of football, it’s a next-man-up mentality,” wide receiver Casey Washington said. “We’ve got some dogs on the team. Whoever steps up for Drake if he’s not available, I think they’ll be ready for the opportunity.”
Despite Washington’s confidence, it would fundamentally change Atlanta’s passing attack if London is unavailable for any time. He was fourth in the league in receiving yards last year (1,271) and immediately became Michael Penix Jr.’s favorite target when Penix took over the starting job last year.
London’s 15 targets against the Bucs are tied for the 20th most in the league since the start of 2024. It was the third-highest number in his career. He had 18 targets and 10 catches for 187 yards against the Panthers in Week 18 and 16 targets and nine catches and 86 yards against the Chargers in Week 13 last year.
Darnell Mooney (shoulder) could return against the Vikings. Mooney, the second-leading receiver a year ago, was inactive against the Bucs, but Morris said Monday that he “feels good” about his status this week. Mooney would give Atlanta a legitimate deep threat (which would be a welcome addition considering Penix didn’t complete a pass further than 15 yards in the opener), but replacing London’s versatility and workload would be tough for Atlanta. His 35.7 percent target share was the eighth highest in the league in Week 1, according to TruMedia.
Divine Debut
After all the offseason talk about Leonard Floyd and the four rookies, the most impactful defensive addition in Week 1 was linebacker Divine Deablo, who quietly signed a two-year deal worth up to $14 million in the offseason. Deablo tied for the team lead with six tackles and had half a sack, one quarterback hit and one pass defended on a diving breakup down the field.
“He’s as advertised,” Morris said. “He did a nice job.”
Deablo spent the first four years of his career in Las Vegas, where he totaled two career sacks and six career quarterback hits.
“I felt like I let myself down at my last team,” he said during the preseason. “I wanted to give 110 percent here, I feel like that’s big, and I’m glad they noticed.”
A promising pass rush start
The Falcons pressured Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield on 40.5 percent of his dropbacks Sunday, which was Atlanta’s ninth-highest rate since 2020, according to TruMedia. It was the eighth-highest rate in the NFL in Week 1. The problem is the Falcons only notched one sack.
“It’s just a matter of getting back to work and rushing as a unit a little bit better,” edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie said. “I believe we can fix it.”
The rookie edge rushers — Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. — had quiet debuts. Walker played 26 snaps and had two tackles. Pearce played 23 snaps and had one quarterback hit.
Extra points
Rookie Xavier Watts played every defensive snap (58). … Kyle Pitts’ seven catches were the second most of his career. “It was good on the stat sheet, but we didn’t get a win,” he said. … Morris is not concerned about Sunday’s loss derailing Atlanta’s offseason optimism. “We are not an emotional team that way,” he said. “We have to find a way to win next week. We were that close today. I don’t think anybody is going to panic.” … The Falcons’ run defense ranked seventh in the league in EPA (7.9 per 100 snaps) in Week 1. … Casey Washington’s three catches (for 33 yards) tripled his career total coming into the game.
(Photo: Brett Davis / Imagn Images)
