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The Atlanta Falcons saw their season come to an end, being eliminated from playoff contention in Week 18. After falling to the Carolina Panthers, head coach Raheem Morris.
While the Falcons were able to force overtime, they ultimately lost 44-38. Morris was quick to take his frustrations out on Atlanta's defense, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
“Really disappointing day of defense,” Morris said. “We did not come out to play today on defense and it showed.”
The 44 points were the most scored against the Falcons all season. It came against a team that entered the week ranked 31st in total offense, averaging 290.1 yards. In Week 18 however, the Panthers gained 425 yards, as Bryce Young did his best Cam Newton impression.
Young completed 25-of-34 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 24 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. While he had been on the upswing, the Falcons allowed Young to have his best game of the season.
It's not like Atlanta didn't have any fight in them. They were up seven heading into the third quarter and battled back to force overtime with two fourth quarter scores. However, Carolina kept up throwing blows and ultimately it was too much to handle. It's impressive the Panthers put up 38 points, but if that much can't win you a game, maybe there was a problem on the defensive side of the ball.
Raheem Morris and company will now have all offseason to think about what went wrong. It appears they have their quarterback of the present and future after making the switch to Michael Penix. However, fixing their defensive issues will be a whole other story.
One thing is for certain though, Morris was infuriated by their effort in Week 18. As they head into 2025, that will be bulletin board material on what not to do for whoever is playing on the defensive side of the ball.
