1. Raheem Morris froze in the season's biggest moment
Let's forget the way the Atlanta Falcons ended the first-half and look at it as a learning experience. You had a young quarterback and a first-year head coach simply looking to go into halftime with the lead. Yes, the approach was wrong and cost the Falcons points but at least you could somewhat explain the approach.
It was a mistake but one the head coach could learn from moving forward. To make the exact same mistake not two hours later simply cannot be explained under any circumstance. You have a rookie quarterback on the field and a kicker with very clear limitations. Riley Patterson needed more yardage and the head coach opted to watch time tick away as Penix attempted to get the offense organized.
After the first hit to mid-field any capable head coach is instantly calling timeout. Atlanta fans were screaming for it and the head coach simply watched as the time and Atlanta's playoff hopes melted away. This one offense is more than enough to fire a head coach who had been given a gift of a second chance from the Dallas Cowboys. You cannot overlook a mistake of this magnitude in that spot.
2. Letting two division leads slip away
This lead was a gift from Cooper Rush and the Cowboys after Atlanta's meltdown in the season's second half. As a reminder, this team was 6-3 through the toughest part of the schedule and had every reason to believe the division was all but won. Even when Kirk Cousins melted away there was plenty of time to right the ship.
Make the quarterback change and give Penix a chance to settle into the lineup and go on a playoff run. Instead, the head coach defended Kirk Cousins and watched Atlanta's season melt away. Consistently getting outcoached and losing leads and chances to grab games. The Falcons were consistently sloppy and simply lacked any late game adjustments to stop their slide.
Raheem Morris was given a gift with the Cowboys and Raiders ahead on the schedule and time to make the change to Penix and save the season. Still, Morris only gave Penix one game to get ready for what was a playoff game for the Falcons. Predictably the team melted and lost the division yet again. A team that went all in on competing this season failing to make it to ten wins with a great schedule cannot be overlooked. It starts at the top and ends with a head coach who hasn't shown growth or made needed changes in time to save another lost season.
3. Raheem's response to failing to use his timeouts
This was a moment when Raheem Morris needed to go up to the podium and wear his mistakes. It was completely on the head coach in a game that was the biggest since the Falcons played Nick Foles and the Eagles in a playoff game in 2017. You had the stage to yourself and a chance to prove to everyone you could be taken seriously.
Morris chose a different path when explaining what happened in the final seconds of both halves. Take his words as you will but it is easy to see it as blame deflecting towards a rookie quarterback in his second start. Even with Raheem's explanation, there is the question of why you didn't call a timeout when you realized time was ticking away.
Morris wasn't a victim held hostage by a slow offense but the decision-maker in power able to slow down the game and give his quarterback at least two extra plays. Two plays would have been more than enough to win this game and with how Penix was playing that outcome seems very likely.
A moment that Morris needed to wear and own his season-changing mistake will become more focused on what appeared to be a lack of complete ownership. Raheem Morris proved in the season's biggest moments he cannot be trusted as the Falcons prepare for yet another long offseason after fumbling away continual playoff chances.