The Atlanta Falcons had the ball trailing by one with just over two minutes remaining in the game. They faced a manageable second-and-10 at midfield hoping to put together a game-winning drive over the New England Patriots.
But then came an early snap that surprised Michael Penix Jr., who faced immediate pressure and grounded the ball at the feet of his offensive linemen.There was no receiver in the area, so out came the flag for intentional grounding, a ten-yard loss-of-down penalty. Suddenly, it was a 3rd-and-20.
That early snap cost the Falcons the game as they went on to lose 24-23. Afterward, Raheem Morris provided an explanation of what happened while addressing the media, alleging that the Patriots illegally mocked the snap count, which tricked Ryan Neuzil into snapping it earlier than anticipated.
Morris said the Patriots simulated their snap on that intentional grounding play and the ball came out too early. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 2, 2025
If true, that is a massive missed call that may have played a big factor in costing the Dirty Birds the game.
Falcons fell victim to the Patriots pulling an illegal trick in Week 9
Refs were not a big part of the Falcons-Patriots game. There were only seven penalties, five of which were on the Falcons, during a tightly-contested matchup at Gilette Stadium.
In fact, it took until the fourth quarter for the Patriots to even get called for a penalty, which came on a typical special teams holding penalty. And there should've been another added to the final penalty tally. If they were faking the snap count, it should've been a five-yard disconcerting-signals penalty.
Just like that, Penix Jr. and his offense would've been in a 2nd-and-5 at New England's 43-yard-line, rather than a 3rd-and-20 at their own 42. Little things like that, as much as opposing fans don't want to admit it, can change the outcomes of games.
Penix Jr. went on to throw an incompletion on third down, pushing Morris to punt the ball with two timeouts. Drake Maye and the Pats went on to convert a game-clinching third down, on a pick play that could've been called offensive pass interference.
Clearly, nothing was certain even if the Falcons had benefited from the right call. Their offense has consistently imploded when it matters most this season, and their kicking game has been a disaster.
However, this one wasn't their fault, and Penix admitted he heard something similar before the ball was snapped.
For all we know, Parker Romo could have missed the game-winning field goal, just like he missed the game-tying PAT.
Nevertheless, missing a penalty like that is ridiculous. It isn't like a holding penalty; it is the defense trying to cheat. They know they aren't allowed to do it, and yet the Patriots, allegedly, did so.
Unfortunately, the Falcons don't get a redo and will be fighting for their lives in the second half of the season, and that starts in Berlin in Week 10 against the Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts.