B/R
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged calling a timeout might have been a preferable course of action to running the hurry-up offense late in Sunday’s 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders.
“In hindsight, it could have been a good decision or a better decision to take that timeout, but I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there,” he said, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “You always second-guess those things, you can always second-guess those motives. You can always go back and look at it and see if you can get it snapped a little bit quicker.”
Bryce Lewis @Bryce_Lewis86
#Falcons HC Raheem Morris on not using his timeouts:
“Probably could have. I thought the operation would be a lot faster there…in hindsight, could’ve been a better decision to take that timeout.” pic.twitter.com/Lm7DbpF8jJ
The Falcons got the ball with the game tied 24-24 and 40 seconds on the clock. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hit wide receiver Darnell Mooney on the first play and got the ball to Atlanta’s 44-yard line.
Morris didn’t use one of his two remaining timeouts and watched his offense scramble to the line of scrimmage. By the time the next snap got off, the clock was sitting at 17 seconds.
The head coach later reflected he “thought we could get to the line of scrimmage and run our operation a little faster there.”
Atlanta’s possession ultimately ended with Riley Patterson missing a 56-yard field-goal attempt.
Morris’ choice to let the game clock keep running was puzzling to many watching the action unfold.
His explanation after the game won’t help his case.
Penix is a rookie, and Sunday was just his second start in the NFL. He has played in big games before, and the Falcons have undoubtedly practiced two-minute drills.
Still, it’s asking a lot of a first-year signal-caller inside the final minute to get his offense organized and communicate the play call.
You’d think Morris would’ve also seen the heat the Chicago Bears got for their dreadful clock management in their losses to the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. First Matt Eberflus and then Thomas Brown totally bungled late-game drives, with a rookie QB no less, by not using their timeouts correctly.
It might’ve been a little different if the Falcons had nothing to play for. Sunday’s loss could’ve been a way to throw Penix into the deep end and get him familiar with situations when he needs to quickly lead the offense down the field without any timeouts.
But Atlanta remains in the thick of the playoff race and now trails the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one game for first place in the NFC South. This wasn’t a time for Morris to throw caution to the wind.
Especially if the Falcons miss the postseason, how he handled the final minute against Washington might be one or Morris’ bigger regrets of the campaign.
