Super Bowl LX is set, with the Seahawks and Patriots facing off on the sport's biggest stage for the first time since 2015. Despite mild animosity toward the Patriots still lingering from Super Bowl LI, Falcons' fans only have one reason to care about this game.
The Patriots and Seahawks are both led by head coaches whom the Falcons interviewed for their open head coaching position and chose Raheem Morris over, prior to the 2024 season. You heard that correctly, the Falcons decided Morris was the right fit.
Two years later, now they’re in the Super Bowl.
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) January 26, 2026
Turnarounds can happen very quick in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/z5jzK8qMpl
Two years later, Morris is no longer the head coach in Atlanta while the Patriots and Seahawks have the last laugh.
Ever since that 2024 head coaching cycle, it's been a tale of two different stories. Morris led the Falcons to back-to-back 8-9 seasons and missed the playoffs both years. Over two years in Seattle, Macdonald is 24-10, which includes their 14-3 run in 2025.
Arthur Blank and the Falcons inexplicably skipped over two future Super Bowl head coaches in the 2024 head coach carousel.
Macdonald was likely skipped by Atlanta's owner, Arthur Blank, due to his lack of head coaching experience, but that didn't matter to Seattle.
Vrabel, on the other hand, was hired by the Cleveland Browns as a consultant, before accepting the Patriots' head coaching job last offseason. During his first season in New England, Vrabel led the Pats to a 14-3 record that includes a historic 13-1 run during the final 15 weeks of the season.
Oh, by the way, the Patriots were a combined 8-26 the two seasons prior to Vrabel being hired.
From the Falcons' perspective, it's hard to understand why they neglected to hire Vrabel. The former NFL linebacker was 54-45 through six seasons as the Titans' head coach, and led them to three straight playoff appearances.
Vrabel had the pedigree and precedent to prove he could produce, but the Falcons decided he wasn't the right fit.
Looking toward 2026 from the Falcons' perspective, all we can do is hope new head coach Kevin Stefanski is the right fit. Two years post-hiring Morris, a lot has changed in Atlanta.
Former franchise quarterback Matt Ryan is leading the charge with potentially elite staff change decisions, and Stefanski will take over the reins as the head coach. There's a lot to look forward to in Atlanta, but it sure would be nice if Vrabel and Macdonald had led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2025.
It's been eight seasons without a playoff birth in Atlanta, and fans are starting to question if Blank is the problem.