Raheem Morris Breaks Down Falcons’ 4th-Down Call, Leaving Bijan Robinson Off the Field

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – Despite a night of struggles, the Atlanta Falcons had the ball, momentum, and a chance to take control of the game late in the fourth quarter. Down just three points to the 49ers on Sunday Night Football, they were in position to either tie the game or take the lead late. 

Instead, the decision to go for it on fourth-and-one became a defining moment of Sunday night’s 20-10 loss. 

Head coach Raheem Morris made it clear afterward: the call was intentional and reflective of the aggressive mindset he wants this team to play with.

“Obviously, the play before… we were in third-and-1, ran a toss to Bijan [Robinson]. Bijan ran the toss outside, we got stuffed on the toss, and then Tyler [Allgeier] came in right for him,” Morris explained on Monday. “We made the play call that we’re going to throw, and Tyler came in right for him. We were ready to go with our best play, going to Drake [London] on a play that we felt really good about.”

That throw never connected after the 49ers' defense diagnosed the play, and the Falcons turned it over on downs. From there, San Francisco did what Kyle Shanahan-coached teams do best: they ran out the clock and sealed the game.

The debate over whether Atlanta should’ve gone for it instead of kicking the tying field goal began immediately. The Falcons were well within range for what should be a makeable attempt for Parker Romo, but Morris said the decision wasn’t just about points. It was about time and game control.

“Right there, you kick the field goal, you’re still leaving a bunch of time to go down and kick a field goal to win the game, holding a ball like Kyle wants to do,” Morris said. “In order to win those type of games, as you know, I’m sure all your analytics say right there, 100% go for it. Analytics at that point will tell you to go for it on fourth-and-one no matter where you are in the field. We don’t want to be reckless with it, but we do want to be aggressive.”

The aggressiveness is one thing, but it was the absence of one playmaker, Bijan Robinson, that stood out most. In the decisive moment of the game, Robinson, the same player Morris has called “the best player in the league,” was watching from the sideline.

Morris acknowledged afterward that the decision is one he’ll have to live with.

“The best player in the league, for sure. Do you want him in there? Obviously,” Morris said. “But when you’ve got a lot of really good players: our 1A, 1B, 1B, 1A, that we just talked about, he went out there, we got a third-and-1 earlier with Tyler [Allgeier]. They’ve got roles. We have different things that we can do.

"Obviously, Bijan runs some third-and-1 situations. He had just run a third-and-1 the play before. We got stuffed in a toss crack. We’ve got a lot of really good players on our football team. We believe in a lot of good players on our football team. And looking back at that right now, obviously, you want Bijan to fill all the time. You can easily second-guess that one. But I don't disagree with you, if you want to put him on the grass.”

The Falcons took a calculated risk, but came up short.

It’s a reminder of the fine line NFL coaches walk every Sunday. When a call works, it’s confidence. When it fails, it’s second-guessing. Morris’ conviction in the moment didn’t waver, and the Falcons wanted to be aggressive. They wanted to go win the game, and they trusted their offense to do it.

But for a franchise still fighting for a shot at the playoffs, and for a team that had been playing some of its best football just six days earlier, Sunday night’s failure was another bitter pill to swallow.