Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was left to rue a personnel blunder at a critical moment in Sunday night’s 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Falcons only had 10 men on the field as Christian McCaffrey’s 17-yard reception extended San Francico’s drive on a 3rd-and-13 with 2:31 remaining.
“It was absolutely embarrassing,” Morris told reporters after the game. “It was my fault. I’ll get it fixed.”
McCaffrey scored with a four-yard run on the Niners’ next play, which effectively ended the game.
Allowing a first down in any third-and-long scenario is frustrating, and it’s all the more maddening when the defense is down a man.
Maybe the 11th defender would’ve been in place to prevent McCaffrey from being wide open. Given how the night was unfolding, the three-time Pro Bowler was certainly the most likely option in that moment.
“I figured it was coming to me,” he said. “It was a great call and throw and a big play.”
Granted, Morris and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich didn’t have an answer for McCaffrey all game. He ran for 129 yards and caught seven passes for 72 yards.
The Falcons, by contrast, couldn’t get their ground game firing. Bijan Robinson had 40 yards on 14 carries.
A fumble by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the second quarter also turned into three points for San Francisco before an intentional grounding penalty cost them a chance to kick a field goal at the end of the first half.
“Anytime you play an opponent like this, you have to be on the screws with everything, and we were not tonight,” Morris told reporters. “We had some missed opps out there. We have to do a better job coaching, a better job playing. Those things fall on us, and we’ll get them fixed.”
The good news for Atlanta is that it has the 1-6 Miami Dolphins ahead in Week 8. The Dolphins are fresh off a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in which starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was benched in the fourth quarter.
It’s hard to envision a better chance for a get-right game.
