Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was not among the many wagging their finger at kicker Younghoe Koo following the team’s 20-17 road loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Looking at the numbers and the numbers only, it is hard not to blame Koo, considering the team lost the game by a total of three points. The veteran kicker converted just one of four field goal attempts, although one attempt was blocked by the Saints.
Had the team converted all three kicks, that’s another nine points on the table that could have given the Falcons a relatively comfortable NFC South victory.
If the team starts a bit faster on offense and avoids self-inflicted wounds, Atlanta likely leaves New Orleans with a dominant win.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris addressed the missed opportunities during his postgame press conference, saying his team had “all the chances in the world” to come away with the victory in the Big Easy.
Morris also took time to express his utmost confidence in Koo despite the kicker’s struggles on Sunday.
“Like I said in the locker room today, I got all the confidence in the world in Younghoe (Koo),” Morris said. “He’s one of the best kickers in this game and he’s been good for us for a long time.”
Simply put, it was a weird day for Koo, and not at all indicative of the player he usually is.
“He had an off day. It happens,” Morris said. “A ton of times, shooters shoot. He went out there and took his shots and didn’t make them.”
Koo entered the contest with an 80 percent success rate on field goals (16-for-20) while going a perfect 21-for-21 on extra-point attempts in 2024. Koo is responsible for 69 of Atlanta’s total points for the season.
He also missed from inside the 40-yard line for the first time since 2020 after he had made 63 attempts in a row within that range.
It wasn’t a game that Koo will remember fondly but he still has the confidence of his head coach, which is all that matters.