During a tight 24-23 loss to the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris publicly accused the Patriots of illegally simulating Atlanta’s snap count by clapping, which induced the early snap. According to Morris.

The Atlanta Falcons found themselves caught up in the late-game controversy. With just 2:0 remaining on the clock and Atlanta trailing by one point at the Patriots’ 48-yard line, Falcons center Ryan Neuzil snapped the ball early on second-and-10.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was not prepared, under immediate pressure, and was flagged for intentional grounding. This turned the situation into a third and 20 and effectively ended the chance to tie or take the lead.

If Morris’s claims are true, the act would fall under the NFL rule forbidding disconcerting signals. The Patriots refute the claim. Defensive tackle Milton Williams said he did not hear any clapping and noted the play may have been a result of a communication breakdown on Atlanta’s line.

Coach Mike Vrabel dismissed it as a “waste of time” and said his team did not teach or engage in clapping to confuse a snap.

By the following day, Morris offered a softer position: after reviewing the tape, he acknowledged that the snap was their fault and that he didn’t want to fuel the fire. “It was on us,” he said.

The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly signing A.J. Terrell to a four-year, $81 million deal, keeping the star cornerback with the team at a potential turning point. Atlanta has now secured three top defenders in two weeks, cementing its status as a playoff contender this season.

Terrell, who has spent his entire four-year career in Atlanta, will soon be the second-highest paid cornerback in the league, behind the Packers’ Jaire Alexander. After stepping up to challenges early in his career, the young star has gained a reputation as a lockdown corner. Quarterbacks typically avoid him entirely now, but the Falcons have done plenty of work repairing weak links around him ahead of 2024.

Atlanta’s off-season will be best remembered for some radical changes to the offense. Sending away Desmond Ridder, the team signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to lead a young core with legitimate star power, including running back Bijan Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London.

But while the Falcons are shooting up experts’ power rankings because of Cousins’ arrival, the team didn’t stop there. Last week, Atlanta signed safety Justin Simmons and traded for linebacker Matthew Judon, acquiring two veteran defenders with multiple Pro Bowl appearances between them.

The team has also extended 27-year-old safety Jessie Bates III, who made six interceptions in his first season with the team last year. Terrell, Bates and Simmons will all appear in the same secondary this season. Locking down Terrell and uniting him with sharp veterans could radically change Atlanta’s defensive outlook for the better.

Last season, the Falcons’ primary issue was that leadership did not seem capable of handling the team’s young talent. Former head coach Arthur Smith did not give a full workload to Robinson, while Pitts and London were held back by poor quarterback play. The defense was solid but suffered lapses during grinding games.

With head coach Raheem Morris at the helm and Cousins under center, however, it seems like the entire organization has immediately entered win-now mode. A meandering roster now seems capable of taking on anyone in the league, and players like Terrell could factor into very big games for the team for years to come.

At his introductory press conference Wednesday evening, new Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said that he was looking for a team on the rise in free agency. He believes that he’s found one. Despite the Falcons’ turbulent 2023 season, improvement at the quarterback position could transform the team from an also-ran into a legitimate contender in the NFC.

“I think in Minnesota it was trending over the last couple offseasons to being somewhat year-to-year,” Cousins said at the press conference. “And as we talked with Atlanta, it felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect to play, that I can retire a Falcon.”

In recent years, the Falcons have developed a reputation for underutilizing young talent. The team drafted running back Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick last summer, only to place him in a suffocating timeshare with backup Tyler Allgeier. Star tight end Kyle Pitts had a breakout rookie season in 2021 but has since floundered on a stagnant offense. Wide receiver Drake London has struggled alongside him in the last two seasons.

With all this talent squandered thus far, many have split the blame between two parties: former head coach Arthur Smith and a revolving door of quarterbacks that most recently included Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinecke.

Smith was repeatedly accused of using Robinson and Pitts as decoys instead of assets. This led to increased production from the likes of Allgeier and veteran tight end Jonnu Smith, but it simply did not prove effective. Smith went 7-10 in all three of his seasons for Atlanta and was fired earlier this year.

The Falcons’ quarterback issue is more difficult to break down but largely came down to a lack of consistent play. Ridder, the team’s starter since the end of 2022, has been effective on the ground but has not produced enough through the air, ending the 2023 season with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Heinecke, his backup, proved capable for the Commanders in 2022 but did not make a significant impact in his limited playing time in Atlanta.

After three straight seven-win seasons, the Falcons’ front office took dramatic steps to fix both problems in the span of a few weeks. Cousins is a pre-built franchise quarterback on a new four-year, $180 million deal and Raheem Morris has been hired to replace Smith as head coach.

Both men have success elsewhere. Morris has been a coach in the NFL for the better part of two decades and has won two Super Bowls, one as an assistant on the 2002 Buccaneers and another as the Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2021. Morris has also worked for the Falcons previously, rising through the ranks from 2015 to 2020 and briefly serving as interim head coach.

“When I see what he’s done and what he’s been around and the people he’s led and the people who have worked with these people speaking so highly of them, I mean, the evidence was just mounting to show that this is some serious alignment here,” Cousins said of his new head coach.

Cousins may not match Morris in championship success, having none himself, but the quarterback has succeeded in turning two separate teams into playoff contenders in his career. Both Washington and Minnesota improved dramatically with him under center, and in eight seasons as a full-time starter, he has had just two losing seasons and four trips to the postseason.

With Morris and Cousins joining forces on a team that already includes the likes of Robinson, Pitts and London, the Falcons suddenly seem like a machine in the vulnerable NFC South division. In one of the most chaotic free agency periods in NFL history, Atlanta has emerged as a team to watch.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has lofty goals for 2024 despite a turbulent rookie season. The eighth overall pick in the 2023 Draft is expected to take on a more expanded role under new head coach Raheem Morris.

“I want 2,000 yards rushing,” Robinson told Sports Illustrated. “I know those are big expectations, what we can do as an offense, with all the weapons, our O-line, with Zac being at the helm, it can be something special. I think it’s going to be one of those special seasons that Atlanta’s been waiting for us and all of us as players have been waiting for. So, let’s get it.”

After Robinson was drafted, becoming the first running back to go in the first 10 picks since Saquon Barkley in 2018, many expected the University of Texas product to make an immediate impact. While Robinson did show flashes of talent throughout the season, he also received erratic playing time under former head coach Arthur Smith.

The relationship between Robinson and Smith was reportedly tense, as the head coach preferred to keep Robinson in a timeshare with Tyler Allgeier. The star rookie only rushed for 100 yards in two games and didn’t score his first rushing touchdown until Week 8. He did play a considerable role in the team’s meager passing game, however, and earned 1,463 total yards from scrimmage.

“Yeah, I had 1,400 yards, but for me, I have such high expectations, that’s not a great season,” Robinson said before the Super Bowl. “From the expectations people have from me, I could see them looking at that season like, ‘That may be great somewhere else but that shouldn’t be the standard for me.'”

With Smith out as head coach and the Falcons’ offense expected to improve, Robinson’s stock should rise as the team builds around him. Atlanta is reportedly in the market for a new quarterback to replace Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinecke. Morris, the new head coach, also pointed out Robinson and wide receiver Drake London as strong assets earlier this month, implying that the offense could run through the pair going forward.