It's become clear at this point that no matter what the Atlanta Falcons do to finish off the season, Raheem Morris has to be fired this winter. The 4-8 Falcons have seen consistent ineptitude from both of their first-time play-callers who helped cost the Dirty Birds the game in Week 13 against the Jets.
There was some belief that the 49-year-old had a chance to save his job after last week's victory, but Sunday's loss only confirmed that his days are numbered. The goal across these next few weeks should be finding a successor to Morris who won't hold this offense back from its true potential.
Zac Robinson has been just as bad, as his play-calling has failed both Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins. With that being said, an ideal candidate to help Penix develop is a coach who will be almost certainly be coaching elsewhere next season in Cleveland Browns' head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Kevin Stefanski could be the offensive guru Falcons fans have waited for
The Browns are sitting at 3-9 following a 26-8 loss to the 49ers in Week 13, and Stefanski will more than likely be fired this winter. Cleveland has an alarming 6-22 record with the 43-year-old at the helm since the beginning of the 2024 season, but that is more by proxy of the worst QB room in the NFL.
Moreover, Stefanski has succeeded as a head coach before. He's taken the Browns to the playoffs twice and led them to two winning seasons. And the even craziest part is the fact that he led one of the worst franchises in NFL history to their first playoff win since 1994, but people forget that.
During his inaugural season at the helm in 2020, the Browns mauled the Steelers en route to the AFC Divisional round, but the ensuing Deshaun Watson trade managed to halt his progress. The three-time Pro Bowler never recovered from missing all of 2021 after being suspended for most of 2022.
Yet it was that same season that the two-time Coach of the Year took a Browns team led by an aging Joe Flacco to the playoffs despite many harboring low expectations for them. From there, it's been tough sledding. but the Dawg Pound is still home to one of brightest rookie classes in the entire NFL.
Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger are both Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunners, while Quinshon Judkins has seamlessly replaced Nick Chubb. His only setback has been the major whiff on trading Baker Mayfield, which has the Browns rolling out Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this year.
SInce trading Baker, they have yet to get the QB position right and that's why he'll likely be fired. But in Atlanta, Stefanski will have Penix, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts at his disposal, which will almost certainly yield the offensive results that this coaching staff has failed to in recent years.