Falcons try to rebound after getting blown out
FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons coach Raheem Morris addressed the state of the team on Monday.
The Falcons (4-9) were demolished 37-9 by the Seahawks (10-3) on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with most of the fans filing out during the fourth quarter. The Falcons were officially eliminated from the playoffs, have dropped seven of their last eight games and wrapped up their eighth consecutive losing season.
Morris addressed the team’s morale and getting the team ready to play the first-place Bucs (7-6) at 8:15 p.m. Thursday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
“Yeah, that’s awful,” Morris said about being eliminated from the playoffs. “You never want to be in this spot. But really, the job is to go out and play spoiler right now.”
The Falcons lost 23-20 to the Bucs in the season-opener on Sept. 7.
“You’ve got a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team on Thursday that we’ve got a lot of respect for, that we love to play,” Morris said. “That’s always a highly competitive football game. I expect no different.”
The Falcons swept the Bucs last season.
“I love the fact that our guys get to get back on the grass and go out there and take another shot at it,” Morris said. “We got some high-character people in our building. Now, we’ve just got to go look at the tape. We’ve got to go figure out from a team and collective group what we need to do to win this football game, because that’s the only thing that really matters.”
Roster moves: The Falcons signed wide receiver Malik Heath, who was placed on waivers by the Packers, and released safety Jordan Fuller.
The Falcons’ wide receiver position has been in upheaval all season, from the injury to Darnell Mooney on the first day of training camp to the firing of position coach Ike Hilliard after the third game of the season.
Heath, who’s 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, has played in 37 NFL games and made two starts for the Packers.
Fuller played in six games and made one start for the Falcons this season.
Estimated injury report: With a short week, the Falcons had to submit an estimated injury report, and wide receiver Drake London was listed as not practicing.
Linebacker Kaden Elliss (elbow) was listed as a full participant.
The projected limited list included wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (shoulder), tight end Kyle Pitts (knee), outside linebacker Jalon Walker (quad), cornerback A.J. Terrell (neck), defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus (groin), right guard Chris Lindstrom (foot) and defensive tackle David Onyemata (foot).
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
