NEW ORLEANS — The Atlanta Falcons were left reeling after a crucial missed opportunity when kicker Younghoe Koo’s attempt to tie the game hit off the right upright with just over six minutes left in the matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Koo’s sense of frustration echoed the atypical performance of the Falcons, who, despite feeling they played better than the Saints, ultimately fell short with a 20-17 defeat on Sunday.
Entering the game as road favorites and sitting atop the NFC South, the Falcons faced a Saints team that had lost seven consecutive games, making their first appearance since the firing of coach Dennis Allen, who was replaced by special teams coach Darren Rizzi. Atlanta outperformed New Orleans in several categories, including a noteworthy 25-14 edge in first downs and impressive offensive stats from quarterback Kirk Cousins, who threw for 306 yards, and running back Bijan Robinson, who rushed for a season-high 116 yards.
It was a day to forget for Koo, who missed three field goals for the first time in his seven-year NFL career. This was particularly jarring given that just six weeks prior, he had successfully made a career-long 58-yard game-winning field goal against the same Saints team in Atlanta. On this occasion, he kicked a 53-yarder wide left in the second quarter and suffered a 35-yard attempt that was blocked just before halftime.
“This game’s fully on me,” Koo reflected. “I’ll take that. That’s not acceptable. We played well enough to win, and I let the team down. This is one of my lowest moments as a kicker.” Coach Raheem Morris expressed his continued confidence in Koo, stating, “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him. He’s one of the best kickers out there, and he just had an off day.”
The Falcons encountered a number of other setbacks throughout the game, including a personal foul penalty on guard Chris Lindstrom that negated a first-and-goal run by Robinson when trailing 17-7 in the third quarter. Following a false start by receiver Darnell Mooney, Atlanta was forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal instead of scoring a touchdown.
After Robinson’s impressive 37-yard touchdown run narrowed the score to 20-17, the Falcons could not capitalize on their subsequent possessions in the fourth quarter. An interception by safety Tyrann Mathieu while Cousins attempted a pass to Drake London with less than two minutes remaining proved pivotal.
Cousins admitted, “I was just being too aggressive. I had been patient all game — until that moment.” In a last-ditch effort, the Falcons advanced from their own 14-yard line to the Saints’ 49, but Cousins was sacked by defensive end Chase Young, resulting in an enormous 19-yard loss due to a fumble. Although they reached the New Orleans 43, a fourth-down tackle against Ray Ray McCloud III kept them short, with Morris deciding not to attempt a 61-yard field goal with Koo.
“We were in desperation mode,” Morris acknowledged. “It didn’t go as planned. We had all the chances out there. It was just one of those days.” Cousins carried some guilt for the missed chances, stating, “We certainly ran out of clock, and the sack-fumble didn’t help. I needed to avoid that negative play. We had opportunities to take the lead, and failing to do so leaves a bad taste in your mouth. This one is painful.”
Atlanta struggled defensively as well, with significant completions of 40 and 67 yards from quarterback Derek Carr to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the former resulting in a touchdown and the latter setting up another score. In response, Morris declared that moving their top cornerback, A.J. Terrell, to cover Valdes-Scantling was necessary to prevent further damage. “Hats off to the Saints,” he said. “They executed well. We need to figure out how to stop those plays to avoid future disasters.”