The Atlanta Falcons haven't played on primetime since Week 6, where they upset Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. But across the final month of the season, they have two games under the national spotlight, which is surely to continue keeping Raheem Morris' coaching future under the microscope.
The 4-9 Dirty Birds might eliminated from playoff contention but right now, they're succeeding in their attempts to play spoiler. At halftime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they lead 14-13 in large part due to two Kyle Pitts touchdowns, but even while leading, the Falcons have looked very undisciplined.
Despite the early lead, it sure hasn't felt like this team has led, or even deserves to lead. In the first 30 minutes, the Falcons committed a season-high 10 penalties, and three of those are courtesy of star cornerback A.J. Terrell in the crucial divisional showdown going down on Thursday Night Football.
That's a season-worst 10 penalties for Atlanta tonight.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) December 12, 2025
The Falcons are leading despite committing a season-high 10 penalties
Luckily, the Falcons started the third quarter with the football, where they squandered a prime opportunity to extend their lead. But their offensive drafts were continually stalled by flags in the first half, and that's not something that can continue if they want to pull off a crucial road upset tonight.
Making matters even worse is the fact that the Bucs haven't been penalized even close to as much. While the Falcons' 11 total penalties have equated to 75 penalty yards, Todd Bowles' squad has been penalized just twice for 10 yards at the start of the third quarter, and the miscues aren't stopping.
A 30-yard run from Bijan Robinson was erased by a Dylan Drummond holding call, while back-to-back penalties took Atlanta from third-and-two to third-and-long earlier tonight. They are consistently setting themselves back and it's clear Morris is doing a terrible job in holding his team accountable.
The 49-year-old coach entered the game on the hot seat, and it's not hard to see why despite what the scoreboard might say. For as impressive as Kyle Pitts has looked tonight, he's been responsible for several back-breaking penalties that have proven costly in stalling some promising Atlanta drives.
A lot has went well for the Falcons tonight, but if the penalty woes continue, it could be the reason why Morris' group falls to 4-10 and he gets fired after the year.