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Opening up at home to begin the season is always an advantage. The Atlanta Falcons were afforded that luxury in Week 1, yet they failed to capitalize, falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in heartbreaking fashion.
Atlanta came out red hot, striking in just three plays. The Falcons went 65 yards in 1:46, capped by a Bijan Robinson reception for the game’s first score. But the offense quickly cooled. Atlanta wouldn’t find the end zone again until under a minute left in the first half, settling for a 41-yard field goal.
From that point, the game was in the hands of second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The first-year starter showed why the Falcons drafted him No. 8 overall last year. In the fourth quarter, Penix orchestrated a marathon 18-play, nine-minute drive that looked like it might deliver the win. On fourth-and-4 at the goal line, he scrambled, stretched the ball across the plane, and gave Atlanta a late lead with just over a minute left.
But Baker Mayfield spoiled the moment. On Tampa Bay’s ensuing possession, the veteran hit rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka on a 25-yard strike, putting the Buccaneers back in front by three. Penix wasn’t finished, though, driving the Falcons to the Buccaneers’ 26-yard line to set up what could have been overtime heroics deliver by Younghoe Koo. Instead, history repeated itself in familiar fashion.
Veteran kicker Younghoe Koo had been solid earlier in the afternoon, converting from 41 and 36 yards. But when it counted most, he pushed a 44-yard attempt wide right, sealing the loss for Atlanta.
“It’s tough, obviously. But as always, just got to get back to work. Definitely frustrated. Had a great offseason, great camp. Two weeks leading into Week 1, I felt great. I still do,” Koo said after the game.
For longtime Falcons fans, the ending felt like déjà vu. The franchise has been haunted by last-minute heartbreaks, and this one came with added sting because Koo’s struggles were no secret.
When Raheem Morris named Koo his starting kicker ahead of the season, he admitted it was based on “emotional bank accounts” with the veteran. This was despite the team signing Lenny Krieg in the offseason to provide competition after Koo’s disappointing 2024 campaign.
Last year, Koo hit just 73.5 percent of his field goals (25-for-38) and converted only 7-of-11 from 40 to 49 yards. Those shaky numbers already had fans uneasy, and now the leash appears short.
“We have to bring a competitive edge. We have to go out there and look,” Morris said Monday. “We have to bring in people to compete. It definitely creates that sense of urgency. It’s about the process you have to go through from a physical and mental standpoint.”
As much as Koo deserves heat for the Week 1 miss, Morris shares his fair share of the blame. He made the call to stick with him.
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