It's the holiday season, so this time of year is when we should be festive, spreading positivity and cheer to the lives of those around us. And the Atlanta Falcons were clearly in the Christmas spirit on Sunday, as they gifted a massive L to the Arizona Cardinals which spread cheer among the fanbase.
However, the Dirty Birds are 2-0 since being eliminated from playoff contention, which has a select portion of the fanbase frustrated with Raheem Morris for doing too little to unite this team. And even Morris himself is annoyed with how long it took for the team to gel as expected in Atlanta this year.
Raheem Morris says it is a bit frustrating seeing the team execute and pulling out games late, which he knew the group was capable of doing earlier in the season. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 22, 2025
This team has only come alive when his job was on the line, which saw the second-year coach admit to the media that he knew his team was capable of this type of performance all season, which makes their struggles in late-game situations from earlier this season sting a whole lot more than it did prior.
Raheem Morris has Falcons fans asking Santa for a new coach this holiday season
Morris has been on the hot seat across the last few weeks, but the back-to-back victories could end up being what gives him another year. Given it's a weaker coaching cycle and this team is finally hitting its stride, Arthur Blank likely won't be gifting the 49-year-old a pink slip once the offseason rolls around.
The Falcons might be sitting at 6-9, but things really stings because the fanbase knows this season could have been the one to break the playoff drought. Six of their nine losses are games they very well could've won, and even half of those outcomes turning out differently would have them atop the NFC South.
The coaching staff has certainly been to blame for many of these losses, which is why Morris' future is in doubt to begin with. A roster as talented as Atlanta's should be making the playoffs year in and year out, but even some struggles with the injury bug won't change how disappointing they've been.
Even if Morris is retained, there would need to be significant changes made to either the coaching staff or front office for the fanbase to get on board with Blank's decison. But we won't know his true fate until the offseason, which is making the waiting game unbearable with nothing to play for now.
The accountability is nice to see after weeks of none, but it is too little too late. He's lost the support of the fanbase (and potentially the locker room) these past few weeks, and it would be incredibly disappointing to suggest meaningless games will be what saves Morris' job.