Field-goal kicking is a phase of the game the Falcons will seek to address this offseason.
The Falcons saw a drop in production in the kicking phase of the game in the 2024 season, and it hurt them in close games.
"We missed entirely too many kicks this year. The brutal honest truth — that can't happen," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. " So we got to find ways to make those kicks. That certainly plays into the part of not winning the amount of games you want to win. We got to find ways to create that competition across the board for all of us. We got to get [Younghoe] Koo healthy, get him back."
Overall the Falcons were 70.7% on field goals, an almost 16% drop from the previous season. Starting kicker Younghoe Koo was 73.5% — his lowest since 2017 — and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 18. Riley Patterson, who replaced the former Pro Bowler, finished his time in Atlanta with a 57.1% success rate.
The lack of success in the kicking game looms large considering 12 of Atlanta's matchups were decided by one possession, and the Falcons finished just two games short of reaching the playoffs.
Before he was placed on injured reserve in Week 16, ending his season, Koo attempted to battle through a hip injury on his kicking leg. He was first listed on the injury report in Week 13.
This year, Koo had several missed kicks he'd normally make, especially after Atlanta's 6-3 start. The day before Koo was placed on IR, Morris said the kicker "hurt himself a little bit" in the team's previous game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Koo participated in Week 15 practices and went 2 for 3 against the Raiders that week.
"Koo is the ultimate teammate and team player, and he wants to help the team in any way possible. He has the great mindset of helping the team when it comes to that," Williams said after he went on IR. "So, when you look at it and you get into the game and he's fighting through some things, it was one of those conversations where it was like, 'OK, I got to get it checked out one more time to see where it's at.' That's where it is right now."
The Falcons signed Patterson to fill their void at kicker, they'd previously signed him to the practice squad on Dec. 3, two weeks prior. They also tried out another kicker, Tanner Brown, with a practice squad spot but ultimately went with Patterson. Atlanta was Patterson's third stop of the season. The journeyman spent time with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets before that.
Patterson converted all three of his kicks from between 30 and 40 yards, but he made just one of his four attempts from 40 yards and beyond. Notably, Patterson missed a potential game-winning kick from 56 yards against the Washington Commanders at the end of regulation in Week 17 with the score tied at 24. Instead, the teams went into overtime and the Commanders won it with a touchdown.
It was a similar story in Week 18. Patterson missed a 52-yard kick with the game tied in the third quarter. The Falcons managed to force overtime with a game-tying drive at the end of regulation but, again, the opposition scored a walk-off touchdown.
Kickers are never fully responsible for losses, but they can tip the scales toward a win in crucial moments. That's why Morris and the Falcons will put an emphasis on the position this offseason.
"Moving forward, we want to find ways to get better," Morris said. "And it starts right now with a negative on how we can get better to make sure we can ensure that we have the ability to make the kicks when we need them."
