The Atlanta Falcons found a way to stun the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15 despite committing a franchise record 19 penalties on Thursday. That led to the officiating coming into question in Atlanta's 29-28 come-from-behind victory on the road under the bright lights of Thursday Night Football.
Kirk Cousins threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns while Kyle Pitts enjoyed a historic game, and it was the exact sort of win the Dirty Birds have waited for. And it saw Raheem Morris exit the game more fired up than Falcons fans have seen him all season after helping spoil the Bucs' playoff hopes.
Raheem Morris said his message into the camera was ‘tell them to call that one,’ after his Falcons were called for 19 penalties and still won. pic.twitter.com/4gQPuiZGn4
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 12, 2025
At the end of the game, the 49-year-old coach was heard yelling something into the camera, and we finally know what he said. Morris admitted that he yelled "tell them to call that one", in response to the outcome not being affected by the many weak flags the refs threw against the Falcons all evening.
Raheem Morris sent a clear message to the NFL officiating crew after Falcons' upset win in Tampa Bay
The Falcons might be 5-9 and eliminated from playoff contention, but this team played with more fight and energy than they have all season. And despite the many penalties, that started with Morris. who was able to keep his team energized and united while he's in the midst of a fight for his job.
Unfortunately, A.J. Terrell was called for five penalties and many of Atlanta's penalties played a factor in stalling their offensive momentum on several occasions. But that didn't change the end result, as they climbed out of a 14-point fourth-quarter hole to shake up a competitive NFC South title race.
A lot of those calls were complete bogus too, so it's not surprising that Morris and Cousins were not happy about some of those rulings. Given the fact lackluster refeering has been a sore subject around the NFL this season, his message is a reminder that all 32 teams are currently unsatisfied.
League officiating both fans and players have been complaining about for years now, so it's time the NFL takes steps to rectify those mistakes. But in Morris' case, knowing they were able to pull off a massive primetime victory despite that has to be a good feeling, especially while on the hot seat.
This was more resilience than the Falcons have displayed all season, so Morris has earned the right to talk his talk. If only the team we saw last night showed up more consistently and aren't that undisciplined to begin with.