It's become abundantly clear that regardless of how the Atlanta Falcons finish the season, Raheem Morris will face an uphill battle to save his job. The 3-7 Dirty Birds entered Week 12 amid a five-game losing streak capped off by consecutive overtime losses, as the writing is firmly on the wall.
As the Falcons traveled to the Big Easy to face the New Orleans Saints, they didn't let a tough bout with the injury bug deter their competitiveness. Even without Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London, the Falcons easily disposed of their NFC South rivals in a dominant 24-10 victory on Sunday afternoon.
In his first start back following Penix's season-ending ACL tear, Kirk Cousins performed admirably in igniting an ailing Atlanta offense, but there were still some obvious red flags. Cousins was sacked three times, nearly fumbled, and threw a pick-six, which means Morris isn't out of the woods just yet.
Falcons' dismantling of Saints still won't be enough to save Raheem Morris' job
Prior to the weekend, the 49-year-old coach expressed faith in the Michigan State product, but fans weren't convinced. In his last start, the Falcons fell 34-10 to the Dolphins back in Week 8, but that loss also came with London sidelined due to a hip injury. However, Cousins is only helping himself.
The four-time Pro Bowler's career as an NFL starter looked to be reaching an end after Penix took over at the end of last season, and his performance in limited action this season only amplified that. However, he stunned everyone by going 16 of 23 for 199 yards and two touchdowns in New Orleans.
The offense was unable to move the football with Penix in the lineup, so it's incredibly concerning to see that it took another injury to the 25-year-old to inject some life into the unit. Zac Robinson has already taken enough heat for his questionable play-calling, and it's an even worse look knowing he couldn't dial this stuff up for Penix.
However, here's the thing. The Falcons boast one of the NFL's most talented rosters and the most talented offenses, yet the offensive output has been non-existent. Even against the Saints, an impressive bounce-back performance from a healthy Jeff Ulbrich defense managed to set the tone.
The victory will see the Dirty Birds improve to 4-7 entering a Week 14 clash with the New York Jets, but there is no hope of this team making the playoffs this season. This team has no quarterback, no London, and no first-round pick, so even a rivalry victory makes that harsh truth impossible to ignore.