Raheem Morris isn’t just coaching games right now-he’s coaching for his future. And over the past two weeks, the Falcons are playing like a team that knows it. With back-to-back wins for the first time since early October, Atlanta is showing signs of life, and Morris might just be making his case to stick around beyond this season.
Sunday’s 26-19 win over Arizona wasn’t perfect, but it was gritty-and it featured a standout moment from a player who wasn’t even on the active roster a day earlier. C.J.
Henderson, a former first-round pick by Jacksonville and a practice squad call-up due to injuries in the secondary, came up with the game-sealing interception. It was the kind of play that doesn’t just win games-it wins trust in a locker room and, potentially, in a front office evaluating its coaching future.
Let’s be clear: this Falcons team has already been eliminated from playoff contention. But you wouldn’t know it from the way they’ve been playing.
There’s a resilience showing up now that was missing earlier in the season. That kind of late-season fight matters-especially to owner Arthur Blank, who’s expected to make some big decisions this offseason regarding both Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.
One of the biggest turnarounds from last week’s loss in Tampa Bay to this week’s win in Arizona? Discipline.
The Falcons committed a franchise-worst 19 penalties against the Bucs. This week?
Just four. That’s a massive shift, and it speaks to a team that’s listening, adjusting, and responding to coaching.
Offensively, it was far from a masterpiece, but it was enough. Kirk Cousins threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns, though his efficiency left something to be desired. In his return to the lineup, Drake London was quiet-just three catches for 27 yards-but Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts stepped up with touchdown grabs, showing flashes of the offensive potential Atlanta’s been waiting to unlock all season.
Special teams played a role too. Arizona’s Chad Ryland missed two field goals, while former Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez, now with Atlanta, hit both of his-though he did miss an extra point. Still, those missed chances by the Cardinals loomed large in a one-possession game.
While Morris entered the week with questions swirling around his job security, it’s fair to wonder if Sunday’s performance might have shifted the conversation. On the other sideline, Jonathan Gannon’s Cardinals dropped their seventh straight, and the contrast in trajectory between the two franchises was hard to miss.
The Falcons’ first-round pick belongs to the Rams, so this win doesn’t hurt Atlanta’s draft position. And it helps build something more important than draft stock-momentum. The offense showed signs of growth, the defense made timely plays, and most importantly, the team looked like it still believes in its coach.
Earlier this year, the fanbase was starting to check out. Morris, once seen as a steadying presence, was suddenly on the receiving end of growing frustration.
But now? The tide might be turning.
With two straight wins and a team that’s finally showing some late-season fight, there’s a growing sense that Morris might be the guy to lead Atlanta out of its playoff drought.
The Falcons still have questions to answer-especially at quarterback, where Cousins’ up-and-down play continues to be a storyline-but if Morris can close out the season strong, he may just convince Blank that the right man for the job is already in the building.