The Atlanta Falcons walked into Week 13 with a chance to notch a road win against a struggling New York Jets offense. Instead, they walked away with a frustrating 27-24 loss - and a harsh reminder that special teams can win you games… or lose them.
On Sunday, it was the latter.
Atlanta’s special teams miscues didn’t just show up on the stat sheet - they directly handed the Jets 10 points. In a game decided by a field goal, that’s the difference between a win and another tough loss on the road. And while head coach Raheem Morris kept his postgame comments measured, it was veteran punter and team captain Bradley Pinion who stepped up and said what needed to be said.
Pinion: "Get back to basics"
Pinion, now in his fourth season with the Falcons and one of the most experienced special teamers in the league, didn’t mince words. He called for the unit to simplify and return to the fundamentals - the kind of no-nonsense approach you expect from a guy who’s been through championship runs and knows what a winning locker room looks like.
And frankly, he’s not wrong.
Pinion did his job on Sunday, averaging nearly 40 yards on six punts. The breakdowns came elsewhere.
Zane Gonzalez missed his first field goal in a Falcons uniform. Jamal Agnew muffed a punt.
And in an effort to avoid a big return from Jets returner Isaiah Williams, Morris made the call to sacrifice field position - a decision that backfired when Williams nearly took one to the house anyway, going 83 yards before being stopped just short of the end zone.
That’s the kind of sequence that doesn’t just swing momentum - it puts your defense in a bind. And when special teams is consistently setting up the opposition with short fields, it’s only a matter of time before it costs you.
A leader speaks - and it matters
Pinion isn’t just any punter. He’s a Super Bowl champion from his time with the Buccaneers, and he started his career under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.
He’s seen what good football looks like, and he’s become one of the most respected voices in Atlanta’s locker room. So when he talks about the need to simplify and execute, it carries weight.
He’s not pointing fingers - he’s pointing to solutions. And that’s exactly what this Falcons special teams unit needs right now.
Overcomplicating the simple
The frustrating part? Special teams is supposed to be the most straightforward phase of the game.
It’s about lanes, leverage, and discipline. But Atlanta has been overplaying their gaps, missing assignments, and turning routine plays into disasters.
That’s how you end up giving away points in close games.
Whether it’s missed field goals, busted coverages, or ball security issues, the Falcons’ special teams unit has been a liability far too often this season. And when you’re a team fighting for every inch in a crowded NFC South, those mistakes loom large.
What comes next
There’s no sugarcoating it - these are fixable issues. And that’s what makes them so frustrating.
The Falcons have the talent. They have the leadership.
But until the execution matches the potential, they’re going to keep finding themselves in games like this - winnable, but lost in the margins.
Bradley Pinion’s message wasn’t just a critique. It was a challenge.
To his teammates. To the coaching staff.
To anyone involved in a unit that’s fallen short of expectations.
Now it’s on the Falcons to respond. Because if they don’t, special teams won’t just be the reason they lost to the Jets - it’ll be the reason they’re watching the playoffs from home.