3 up and 3 down Week 17: Raheem Morris lets the team down

Atlanta’s primetime loss is heavy on three people in particular, while the offense had a strong day.

Heartbreaking. Raheem Morris forgot how to use timeouts and spoiled what could’ve been the most meaningful Atlanta Falcons win in years. The players fought hard at the end of the day, and while there are no moral victories, there are the weekly up-and-down rankings, and that’s close enough.

Here’s the Week 17 3 up and 3 down.

Up

Kyle Pitts

The tight end bounced back after a disappointing performance in Michael Penix’s debut. Pregame Rodney Harrison said that Kyle Pitts is “too big to be playing so soft,” which doesn’t align with the faults in Pitts’s game–we watched him play through injuries for two years. Regardless, Pitts responded with a big play to start and finish his day in between a solid outing.

Last week, I mentioned that it was good to see Penix go back to Pitts after the bobbled interception because he would need to be able to count on the tight end over these final games, and we saw that come to fruition in the final moments of regulation. Both Penix and Pitts desperately needed that touchdown, which couldn’t have happened at a better moment. Kyle Pitts helped make the play to send the Falcons into OT and potentially to the playoffs–but you know how the story ends.

Bijan Robinson

The running back had his fourth two-rushing touchdown performance of the season after only having four touchdowns total in 2023. To say that Bijan Robinson’s 2024 season has been anything other than sensational would be an understatement. Regardless of what is going on around the running back, he makes the play and situation work.

Since his rookie season, Robinson has generated 1,019 yards after forcing missed tackles, one of only two players over 1,000 such yards during that span (Derrick Henry, 1,146). There isn’t a single area of the back’s game that has regressed. The complete opposite has happened. Robinson has a blocking highlight reel that would make any offensive line coach proud. Atlanta wouldn’t have sniffed eight wins without the running back’s contributions this season.

Michael Penix Jr

It might feel like I’m forcing this “up,” but given the circumstances, I believe Penix earned it. It was a rocky start, no doubt, but chemistry issues would rear their ugly heads at some point–misses were to be expected. The quarterback did have some outright misses that looked like they were due to footwork or other technical issues—still, nothing to raise the alarm over. The way Penix responded to his misses and his ability to overcome his head coach landed him in the up.

Making your second start in primetime in a pseudo-playoff game isn’t easy, but when the team needed him most, Penix showed the poise Atlanta had been raving about and kept the Falcons alive. On the last two drives, Penix went 5/10 for 96 yards on downfield attempts, including his first career touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts that tied the game late in the 4th quarter. Those are the moments that build your rookie’s confidence and make them feel like they belong in this league.

Down

Drew Dalman

Dalman’s return has been felt in the run game but has been underwhelming overall. Pass protection still isn’t the center’s strong suit, but what’s most frustrating is the snap struggles that won’t go away. It’s absurd that we’re still having this conversation after four years. The location was off on multiple snaps, not just the high one to Bijan.

I can understand the timing being off due to the new cadence, but the other issues are technical mistakes that cost the team opportunities and the Falcon some money. Dalman is due for a new contract after the conclusion of this season. He’s missed 11 games the past two years and has allowed one more sack this season than backup Ryan Neuzil. Atlanta will have to pay him a contract in the top 10 in total value to keep him, but that’s a wide range (16.5M-72 M) in the center market.

Dee Alford

BBQ chicken. The Dee Alford experience was fun while it lasted. The slot corner peaked in a strong 2023 and has been in a downward spiral all of 2024. Former Falcon Olamide Zaccheaus looked like Julio Jones, and Zach Ertz looked like 25-year-old Zach Etrz when they were lined up across from the defensive back.

Atlanta was content with giving up first down after first down over the middle all night and didn’t really test anyone else in Alford’s place. Natrone Brooks is someone that I was hoping would get some reps after the rough start from Alford, but Atlanta stood pat. That course of action seems to be the default for this staff.

Raheem Morris

It’s Week 17 in 2024, and I’m being forced to talk about timeouts and the simple act of taking them. How did we get here? Can we please go back? Morris is having a nightmare second half in his first year as head coach. Atlanta has gone 2-5 since starting 6-3, lost control of their playoff destiny (twice), and benched their 100M investment at quarterback. Many were ready to forgive all of that if Penix looked like a legit guy and Morris is still struggling to keep it together.

He word-vomited his way through multiple pressers to explain his timeout fiasco, but it’s not just time management that got in the way. He reflects a sloppy football team that struggles to do the basics and can’t get out of their own way. That reflection is precisely what kept Morris from getting a job as a head coach for over a decade, and is something he’ll need to reverse to keep this job long-term.

Atlanta is at .500 with a 17% chance of making the playoffs. It technically isn’t over just yet, but the only way your Falcons are making the playoffs is if the New Orleans Saints do them a favor, and I think we all know that isn’t happening in this lifetime.