Raheem Morris Blames Special Teams Woes on Personnel: 'It's Not Just One Person'

The Atlanta Falcons' league-worst special teams outdid themselves in an embarrassing 37-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

After a defensive first half that ended 6-6, Rasheed Shaheed took the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a Seahawks touchdown, and the Falcons never recovered. What was a close game quickly turned into a rout.

RASHID SHAHEED TAKES THE KICK RETURN 100 YARDS ALL THE WAY

SEAvsATL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/rdIB9a1qK6
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025

The Falcons had a field goal blocked in the first half as well.

What happens next for the Atlanta Falcons? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Falcons news delivered to your inbox daily!

It was the second straight week a long kickoff return bit the Falcons. Last week against the Jets, moments after the Falcons took a 17-14 lead, Isaiah Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to set up a tying field goal. The Falcons would go on to lose that game by three points.

Atlanta was already 32nd in the NFL in kick return coverage at 29.8 yards per return, and they'll increase their gap in last place after Shaheed averaged 49.3 yards on three returns on Sunday.

After last week's game, Falcons' head coach Raheem Morris bristled at the question of making a change with his special teams coordinator.

This week, he was more diplomatic after watching another disaster-class from Maurice Williams' unit, but still provided cover for his embattled coordinator.

"You know, we've got to go figure it out," said Morris. "We gotta watch it. We gotta put more people out there to change it up. Who's going, who's running out, who's covering. Who's doing all the things we ask those guys to do. You can't give up a blocked field goal. You can't do any of those things.

"It's not just one person to point at. It's not just one thing to point at. You gotta go figure it out and look at it on tape, and try to come up with some answers."

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | WATCH

In other words, since so many things are going wrong, it's obviously the players' fault.

Again, Morris isn't going to fire a coach in a post-game press conference, and frankly, he may not have the authority to fire Williams. There's no logical reason why Williams is still employed by the Falcons.

But what we saw on Sunday was a team-wide second-half collapse from the Falcons, who have seen no accountability from one of the worst-performing units in the NFL.

The fans in Atlanta have already checked out on Morris. Once the players do the same, can it be long before owner Arthur Blank makes wholesale changes?