Timeout, Falcons.
That would have been simple enough in the waning seconds of regulation at Washington on Sunday night. And not just once.
You might think Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris – and his staff, too – would have learned from the bungled clock management at the end of the first half of a must-win game to control playoff destiny but apparently, they didn’t make the halftime adjustment.
So, here they go again.
They blew it.
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Squandered the opportunity to pull off an upset. Shot themselves in the foot. Dropped the ball. Laid an egg that left them embarrassed in prime time on national television.
In the end, in falling 30-24 in overtime against the Washington Commanders and dazzling rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, they were so, well, Falconesque.
Add another chapter of heartbreak for a franchise whose history is stained by blowing a 28-3 lead in a Super Bowl.
This latest setback, which left Atlanta (8-8) needing help to overtake the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South crown, might not have been as bad as succumbing to Tom Brady’s will with a Lombardi Trophy on the line because the stakes weren’t as high. But it was certainly a reminder of why it must be so painful to exist as a Falcons fan.
After finishing the first half with three timeouts in their pocket (settling for a field goal and 17-7 lead that should have been larger if a once-promising, last-minute didn’t fizzle), the Falcons were positioned at the end of the fourth quarter to stun Washington with a walk-off field goal.
By fumbling the clock, though, the Falcons ran out of time to run probably at least two more plays that would have given their fill-in kicker a better chance for a game-winning field goal. As it turned out, Riley Patterson’s 56-yard attempt landed several yards short as time expired in regulation…and Atlanta never touched the ball again.
The Falcons have no one to blame but themselves. Shoot, they got a gift with a quick three-and-out on the previous Commanders drive when former Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus had a third-down pass over the middle carom off his helmet.
Then they turned around and returned the favor. Like the same old Falcons.
After Michael Penix Jr., connected with Darnell Mooney on a deep out route – a beautiful laser throw for a 25-yard completion – to move the football to the Falcons’ 44-yard line, they wasted at least 16 seconds rather than calling for one of their two remaining timeouts. Just ridiculous.
What more could they ask for in that situation? With the game tied, the drive began at Atlanta’s 19-yard line with 40 seconds on the clock. When Mooney hauled in the pass, 33 seconds. It was a great way to jump-start a drive. But when they snapped the football again, just 17 seconds remained – along with the two timeouts.
Morris, in his second stint as a head coach and first year at the helm for the Falcons, should know better. This is not how to manage the clock in crunch time.
Why not take the timeout?
“Probably could have,” Morris explained – so unconvincingly, given the result – afterward. He thought they could get the next play off and save the timeout.
“In hindsight, could have been a good decision, a better decision, to take that timeout. But I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there. You can always second-guess things, second-guess the motives. You can always go back and see if you can snap it a little quicker. But I really believe we can get our operation time a little faster and be able to save that timeout.”
What a hard lesson to learn. An NBC graphic as this episode unfolded on “Sunday Night Football” provided the much-needed context. With a victory, the Falcons would have had a playoff probability of 79%. The loss dropped that chance to 15%.
In other words, the good teams seize such moments. The bad ones, as the Chicago Bears showed us in bungling the clock at Detroit on Thanksgiving, can’t seem to get out of their own way.
Atlanta is still just bad enough. To make the playoffs from here, the Falcons need some prayers answered for a holiday miracle – as in a victory against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday coupled with a loss by the Bucs (9-7) against the injury-depleted New Orleans Saints.
It’s too bad it has come down to this long shot for the Falcons, who only a few weeks ago looked like a lock to win the division title and make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Since a 6-3 start, the Falcons have dropped five of seven games. The only two wins since early November came against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, who are sporting records of 4-12 and 3-13, respectively.
No, this is not what was promised. The Falcons have turned into one big tease. Again.
Sure, Penix Jr. looks like the real deal, offering hope for the future after the Falcons made the big decision to accelerate the succession plan and supplant Kirk Cousins. Yet for all the detailed planning, the Falcons showed they are still the Falcons, failing to “rise up” and support their promising rookie quarterback with the best clock management in the clutch.
Barring a miracle, the Dirty Birds will be forced to take yet another timeout – from the NFL playoffs.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell.