Kicker Younghoe Koo missed three of four field goals for the Falcons as Atlanta fell to the New Orleans Saints 17-20 on Sunday.
Koo leaves the game with a 70.8% field-goal percentage for the season. Currently, it’s the worst rate in the NFL out of kickers who have played in all of their games this season.
“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Younghoe,” coach Raheem Morris said postgame. “He’s one of the best kickers in this game, he’s done it for us for a long time. He had an off day… Shooters shoot. He went out there and took his shots today and didn’t make them.”
Quarterback Kirk Cousins went 23-of-38 passing with 308 yards, no touchdowns and a lone interception. The pick came late in the fourth quarter with two minutes left as the Falcons were driving down the field in a potential go-ahead drive.
“Certainly a tough loss,” Cousins said in his postgame presser. “Felt like we had chances to win the football game, or at least take the lead late in the game, and not being able to do it is difficult. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. This is one that you’re sick over.”
Despite the late interception, Atlanta got another chance to win after Saints’ running back Alvin Kamara dropped a wide-open deep pass that would have likely been a game-sealing first down.
The Falcons managed to move the ball into Saints territory when Saints pass-rusher Chase Young strip-sacked Cousins, setting the Falcons back 19 yards and back on their own side of the field.
Forced to use their final timeout, Atlanta ran a couple of quick plays and managed to get back past midfield. With six seconds left, on fourth down, Cousins threw to receiver Ray-Ray McCloud well short of the line to gain. McCloud gets brought down short of the first down marker as time expires and that’s game.
This Falcons’ loss comes despite them out-gaining New Orleans 468 to 365 in total yardage. Atlanta also had 11 more first downs and had 35 minutes in time of possession compared to the Saints’ 25 minutes.
Bijan Robinson enabled the Falcons to hold onto the ball for so long. Robinson had 20 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns. His second score saw him tear his way through Saints defenders as he hit the gas on a 37-yard touchdown run. It was Robinson’s seventh game of the season with 100 or more all-purpose yards.
The defense, despite letting up a couple of big pass plays to Saints receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the first half, tightened up in the second. They allowed one field goal and forced five three-and-outs in their second-half effort.
Next Sunday Atlanta’s offense will be tested as they travel to Denver to face a Broncos’ defense that has been stout all year.