As the Atlanta Falcons prepare to take on the New York Jets in a matchup of irrelevant teams, there is no debating that this must serve as the potential final straw for head coach Raheem Morris. If the Falcons fall to 4-8 on the season and lose to a 2-9 Jets team that has been starting backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor after benching Justin Fields. There simply are no more excuses for Morris after another season that hasn't gone according to plan.
A season ago, it was easy to heap the majority of the blame at the feet of an injured Kirk Cousins. Now, the truth is easy to see with the Falcons being consistently outcoached and often unable to make needed adjustments. Atlanta's offense is bland and predictable, and the late-game coaching has been consistently horrendous. This is evidenced by back-to-back overtime losses to prolong a five-game losing streak that officially sunk Atlanta's season.
All of this adds up to the fact that Morris doesn't appear to be the needed leadership that the Falcons are currently missing. If Atlanta loses against a clearly tanking Jets team, there is no longer a reason to dance around the fact that it is time to fire Morris.
Raheem Morris' Job Is on the Line vs. Jets in Week 13
Firing Morris allows you to put a veteran coach in the role and hope you find a surprise answer in assistant head coach Jerry Gray or defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. If this doesn't spark the needed change, you can get a head start on looking at offseason options and finding a leader capable of pushing you out of mediocrity. This isn't meant to be a shot at the likeable Morris, but pointing out the reality of a 16-23 record across the last three seasons that can no longer be viewed as an outlier.
The Falcons were far too patient with former head coach Arthur Smith and cannot afford the same approach with Morris. This is a business that is defined by winning, something the Falcons haven't done with any level of consistency since the 2017 season. A year that would signal the end of the Matt Ryan era as fans knew it, with the team continually regressing until Ryan's eventual 2022 exit.
With this in mind, the Falcons cannot afford any more patience with Morris if they're serious about attempting to turn things in the right direction. A loss against the Jets should signal the end of his tenure and put either Gray or Ulbrich into the interim role. Atlanta's ownership and front office simply cannot continue to put up with losing, which has been aided by a coaching staff that so obviously lacks answers.
A loss to one of the AFC's bottom-feeders would unquestionably inspire a needed change.