In the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, veteran kicker Nick Folk missed a 53 yard field goal on the Falcons' opening possession.
Sure the Falcons had much bigger problems against Tampa Bay… Like an offense that threw four interceptions and failed to score a single point. But the missed kick added to a growing list of special teams mistakes that have hurt Atlanta throughout the season.
And considering how much attention the organization gave this unit during the offseason, the special teams issues have been here for a while--and it's becoming a frustrating trend that even a new regime has failed to solve.
The Atlanta Falcons' special teams overhaul hasn't fixed everything
The Atlanta Falcons entered the offseason knowing they needed to improve on special teams, and hired Craig Aukerman to be the team's new special teams coordinator in hopes of doing exactly that.
As soon as Aukerman was brought in, Atlanta signed veteran kicker Nick Folk, added punter Jake Bailey (both of whom have worked with him before), and drafted return specialist Zachariah Branch.
On paper, the changes made sense and they expected them to make all the difference. But the results have been mixed as Folk has converted 12 of his 16 field goal attempts this season and just one of four from beyond 50 yards.
The kicking issues are concerning enough, but Atlanta's return game has also produced some costly mistakes. During the Falcons' 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears, Branch muffed a punt and fumbled a kickoff.
The Bears scored 10 points off those two turnovers in a game Atlanta ultimately lost by eight. That's a pretty significant difference in a game that was otherwise within reach. Branch was drafted partly because of his ability to change games with his speed and explosiveness.
And he still has plenty of time to develop into a dangerous returner. But the Falcons can't afford to keep giving opponents extra possessions, especially when their offense has struggled to find consistency in its own right.
Falcons are still dealing with the same problems on special teams
What makes the Atlanta Falcons special teams struggles even more frustrating is how familiar they should feel. Last season, special teams mistakes played a major role in five of the Falcons' nine losses.
One of the more notable examples came in Atlanta's 27-24 loss to the New York Jets where the Falcons muffed a punt, allowed an 83 yard kickoff return, and missed a 50 yard field goal in a game they lost by just three points--yet Folk drilled a 56-yarder to walk them off.
Those are the kinds of mistakes that can completely change the outcome of a close game, and Atlanta spent much of the offseason trying to prevent them from happening again.
Yet here we are, several months later, watching some of the same issues continue to surface.
The Falcons invested in new players and a new coordinator because they understood how much special teams hurt them last year. Now they need those changes to start producing better results.
Because if Atlanta continues giving away possessions and leaving points on the field, it's going to have a hard time winning the close games that could ultimately determine where this season goes.
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