The Atlanta Falcons are losers of seven of their last eight, but Week 14's loss all but confirmed Raheem Morris won't be returning next season. The Falcons entered halftime tied with the Seattle Seahawks, but a mammoth second half collapse exposed just how defeated Atlanta's locker room is.
It wasn't one play or one possession that made a difference, it was a series of plays that put the nail in the coffin. Whether it was the long kick return touchdown, both Kirk Cousins' interceptions, or Sam Darnold picking Jeff Ulbrich's defense apart, it's now clear who needs to replace Morris at the helm.
While the Dirty Birds had to witness a coaching disasterclass from Morris once again, the other sideline witnessed a coaching masterclass from Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. He's become one of the most popular candidates this cycle, which means the Falcons have to act quickly.
Seahawks' offensive mastery confirmed that Klint Kubiak is the perfect successor to Raheem Morris
Seattle scored 37 points on the game, but 30 of those came courtesy of the offense as the Seahawks fell just short of 400 total yards. Sam Darnold threw three touchdowns and the lone blemish on his stellar afternoon was an interception that deflected right into the hands of Falcons' CB Mike Hughes.
Under Kubiak's tutelage, the Seahawks offense has ascended to heights that nobody thought possible. Darnold is playing like an MVP candidate, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba's breakout season continued with a two-touchdown performance that saw him give A.J. Terrell problems all game long.
Even Rashid Shaheed enjoyed one of his best games as a Seahawk on Sunday, and that's largely due to Kubiak's influence. The strong run game has helped ignite their play-action offense, and that's precisely what this Falcons' offense has been missing with Morris and Zac Robinson calling the shots.
The 38-year-old is the son of Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak, and has a track record of elevating offense beyond their potential. He helped bring life back to the New Orleans offense last season with an aging Derek Carr, and is the type of offensive guru the Atlanta offense badly needs.
It's no secret he'll receive plenty of head coaching interest this offseason, which means it's likely he isn't back in Seattle. So when Arthur Blank inevitably fires Morris, Kubiak should be his next call, and he would certainly be interested in coaching an offense with both Drake London and Bijan Robinson.
The offense (and roster) has all of the talent in the world, it's just a matter of finding the right mind, and Kubiak is just that.