ATLANTA — As Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walked off the podium from his postgame press conference after Sunday’s 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers, he shared a warm hug with Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
Sporting a red velvet blazer, Blank embraced his first-year coach after a once-promising season ended in all-too-familiar fashion: without a playoff appearance, let alone a winning record.
Atlanta (8-9) enters the offseason without quarterback questions for the first time in four years, as rookie Michael Penix Jr.scored three touchdowns and threw for a career-high 312 yards in Sunday’s loss — and the Falcons’ locker room thinks there shouldn’t be any questions about head coach, either.
Asked to give a message to a fanbase tired of losing, receiver Ray-Ray McCloud IIIspoke optimistically — in large part because of what he sees Morris building.
“It’s coming,” McCloud said postgame. “And I think (fans) can see that. With Rah in the position where he is, it’s going to be a fun ride.”
The Falcons’ faithful expressed verbal displeasure with Morris’s clock management twice Sunday.
At the end of the first half, in a similar situation to what Atlanta faced late against the Washington Commanders the week before, Morris differed from his approach in Washington and called a timeout after a lengthy pass play. Fans sarcastically cheered for several seconds, some even standing and clapping.
Then, at the end of regulation, Morris chose not to take one of his two timeouts after running back Bijan Robinson scampered to the 38-yard line. Atlanta would have one timeout and around eight or nine seconds to try to get into field goal range had Morris called the timeout.
Upon realizing Morris wasn’t going to call his timeout, fans booed as the final seconds of the fourth quarter ticked down. The Falcons’ offense didn’t touch the ball again.
The locker room doesn’t have a similar sense of frustration with Morris.
McCloud has been to the playoffs each of the past four years. He played in the NFC Championship with the San Francisco 49ers the last two seasons and made a run to the Super Bowl last year.
The 28-year-old McCloud, who caught four passes for 66 yards Sunday, has tasted plenty of success in the NFL. He’s confident Morris will lead the Falcons to similar heights, citing the culture that’s been built.
“The way that we jump on board with him,” McCloud said. “We went to war for him, and he just knows he’s doing the right things, take care of us and (we’ll) learn how to take care of him. He’s not on the field, throwing the ball, catching the ball, whatever.
“So, we got to make plays as a team and just hold each other accountable.”
Robinson, who rushed a career-high 28 times for a career-best 170 yards and two touchdowns, feels similarly.
Robinson said his biggest takeaway from the season, which saw a 6-3 record go to waste after a 2-6 finish, centered around learning how to adapt and finding the value in being a great teammate despite times turning sideways.
And that, Robinson believes, is an indication on the culture built by Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.
“I love every single player in here, every single coach in here. That’s why I love what Terry and Rah do, man,” Robinson said. “They really do bring in the right personalities and the guys that work hard every single day. And I’ve seen that in practice every day, I’ve seen it in the games every day.”
Off-field value alone doesn’t necessarily translate to football substance, of course, and Robinson acknowledged the Falcons have much to improve in 2025.
“For us, it’s the little things that when we get better at those little things this offseason, and make sure we don’t do those in the game, I feel we’ll have such an explosive team,” Robinson said. “But it all starts with correcting the stuff that we didn’t correct.”
Robinson is in his second season in Atlanta. He saw the Falcons’ locker room handle the downfall and ultimate firing of head coach Arthur Smith at the end of 2023, and it’s worth noting he referenced Atlanta’s players being supportive of one another down the stretch this season.
Second year left guard Matthew Bergeronmentioned similar.
“Obviously, we’re missing the playoffs, but you can just see there’s a different energy compared to last year,” Bergeron said postgame. “Just guys sticking together and guys picking each other up. So, I mean, it’s good. I’m confident about this team and the way things are going for next year.”
Bergeron agreed with the notion that Atlanta’s built a special culture — though he acknowledged it may be difficult for fans to recognize due to the same, playoff-less ending as a season ago.
“I know it’s hard to see from the outside because the outcome hasn’t been there this year, but you can feel it on the inside,” Bergeron said. “Like, we’re just a few steps away to being that team that we’re supposed to be. We’ll keep working, obviously, we’ll get some guys back. But, yeah, I’m grateful and thankful to this team.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Morris is scheduled to speak with reporters Monday afternoon, while Fontenot will talk late Thursday morning. Plans can change, but Atlanta’s schedule alone indicates Morris is poised to return for a second season.
And his team, evidently, agrees with Blank’s decision.
