The Atlanta Falcons lost a 22-17 thriller to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, but the game was even closer than the score indicates. In the fourth quarter, the Falcons had the ball in the Chiefs’ red zone with a chance to take the lead.
Needing one yard on fourth down, Atlanta called a questionable run to the outside that appeared to have little chance of succeeding based on the pre-snap alignment. Running back Bijan Robinson was stuffed for a loss and the team turned the ball over on downs with under a minute left.
As you would expect, the decision was heavily questioned by Falcons fans and analysts following Sunday’s loss. So, who was responsible for making the call?
Head coach Raheem Morris did not want to point the finger at offensive coordinator Zac Robinson during Monday’s press conference. It appeared that quarterback Kirk Cousins may have called an audible on the final play, but Morris said it was a collaborative decision.
“In that particular situation, that was collaborative,” Morris said of the fourth-down play call. “It obviously didn’t work. But that was not a self-made decision by anybody.”
Morris was asked why the Falcons didn’t try a different play, such as a quarterback sneak, but said those things were discussed.
“Definitely was part of the discussion last night, sneaks and things of that nature, explained Morris. “I feel really good with our two backs.”
The Falcons did not have an update on injured offensive linemen Drew Dalman and Kaleb McGary. If either player is forced to miss time, it would be a major loss for Atlanta. McGary is a dominant run-blocker and Dalman has quietly become one of the more well-rounded centers in the NFL.
Make sure to check out this week’s takeaways and our studs and duds from Sunday’s prime-time loss to the Chiefs.
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