Jimmy Lake followed Raheem Morris to the Atlanta Falcons last year to become their defensive coordinator. He was immediately given the reigns to the defense after the new head coach stated he wanted to focus on the team rather than just one side of the ball.
Lake's job was to build this defense into a unit that could do just enough. For much of the season, he failed to do that, as the defense had numerous disappointing performances, which culminated in the massive Week 18 disaster against the Carolina Panthers.
It left a bad taste in the mouth of everyone who associates with the franchise and it could ultimately cost Jimmy Lake his job.
Falcons will consider firing Jimmy Lake after evaluating everything
As head coach Raheem Morris has said so often since arriving back in Atlanta, reviewing the film will be the determining factor in every decision he decides to make—including firing his friend Jimmy Lake.
A few good games from Lake's defense were overshadowed by many disastrous games. The defense allowed 20 or fewer points six times but also allowed 30 or more just as many times, two of which were over 40 points.
Unsurprisingly, the determining factor was the opposing quarterbacks. The only quality QB they limited was Justin Herbert in a game they lost.
Meanwhile, they allowed Geno Smith, Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, and Bryce Young to pick them apart. Oftentimes, the score didn't even reflect how ugly things were.
There are two massive issues that should cost Lake his job: personnel decisions and failure to put players in the best position to succeed.
It took the team many weeks to make changes at edge rusher, it took many weeks for second-round pick Ruke Orhohoro to see the field, and, most concerning of all, Dee Alford kept his starting spot despite massive struggles.
Then you have the countless times where he allowed offenses to create one-on-one scenarios with pass-rushing outside linebackers. There were two notable plays in the final two games.
Against Washington in a third-and-long, Lake had DeAngelo Malone playing a zone and his inexperience resulted in an illegal contact penalty that changed the game.
In Week 18, Matt Judon was consistently in coverage and essentially was asked to play nickel cornerback on Miles Sanders' long touchdown catch. It is awful coaching at its core.
Having said all of that, I don't anticipate Raheem Morris making the move. It would be unlike him to fire a coach after just one season, even if it was a rough season. Expect to see Jimmy Lake on the sidelines in 2025.