After two games with Michael Penix Jr. as quarterback, it’s clear the Atlanta Falcons are in good hands at the position. However, there might not be enough time left to secure a playoff spot.
A heartbreaking loss to the Washington Commanders, who came back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to win 30-24 in overtime on Sunday night, significantly hurt Atlanta’s playoff chances.
Now, Tampa Bay controls its own destiny in the NFC South and only needs to win its final game against the struggling New Orleans Saints to claim the division title.
If that happens, the Falcons (8-8) will face a painful offseason wondering how they let it slip away. They were in control of the division race with a 6-3 record in early November but then went on a four-game losing streak that eventually led to the firing of $180 million free-agent signing Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback.
This team should not be missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year, but that could very well be the case.
“We have to be dominant,” said running back Bijan Robinson on Monday. “There’s so much talent on this team, on this offense. The young talent that we have, man, it’s pretty special.”
Looking back, it’s clear that the Falcons should have switched to Penix before the last three regular-season games. The No. 8 overall pick has played well in his first two starts, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Commanders and their rookie star, Jayden Daniels.
In hindsight, Atlanta might have defeated the Commanders and only needed to win their final game to secure a playoff spot, but some poor time management by coach Raheem Morris played a big part in the loss.
Morris did not use any of his three timeouts in the final minutes of the first half, choosing to run down the clock and settle for a field goal instead of trying for a touchdown that could’ve extended the lead to 21-7.
More concerning was his decision not to call a timeout after Penix connected with Darnell Mooney on a 25-yard pass with 40 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 24. The Falcons let the clock run down to 17 seconds before finally lining up for a play that resulted in an incompletion. After another incomplete pass, Morris called a timeout while the clock was stopped.
A couple of penalties gave the Falcons a chance to win with a 56-yard field goal, but Riley Patterson’s kick came up short. The Commanders then won the game in overtime without Atlanta getting another chance to possess the ball.
Had Morris used his two remaining timeouts during the final drive of the fourth quarter, the Falcons would’ve had more time to set up a better field-goal attempt for Patterson.
Morris explained on Monday that he wanted to keep the clock running to prevent the Commanders from bringing in their pass-rushing specialists.
“You definitely go back and second-guess it when it doesn’t work,” Morris said. “When it doesn’t go right, I’m not gonna run away and blame it on anybody else. I apologize to our fans for not getting it done.”
