Falcons Get Head Scratching Addition to Pro Bowl Alternates

Plenty of Atlanta Falcons get snubbed when it comes to awards voting, so it seems especially odd when there's a head-scratching addition.

Younghoe Koo of the Atlanta Falcons was statistically the worst kicker in the NFL in 2024. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The NFL released its Pro Bowl rosters and alternates on Thursday, and the Atlanta Falcons will be represented by offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom and special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge.

There are also questions as to if Bijan Robinson, Kaden Ellis, and A.J. Terrell should have been higher than alternates and why Drake London wasn’t even an alternate. 

However, one of the biggest head scratchers was a player who wasn’t left off the list, but who was on the list.

Kicker Younghoe Koo was one of eight Falcons selected as alternates for the Pro Bowl. 

Koo ranked 32nd in the NFL in field goal percentage in 2024, finishing his season on IR having made 25-34 kicks (73.5%). Dig deeper into those 34 kicks, Koo was 12-18 (66.7%) from 30-49 yards.  

Understand we’re not here to bash Koo, but to bash the audacity across the board of the popularity contest that is the Pro Bowl selection process. Koo was selected despite being statistically the worst kicker in the NFL. 

League-wide, Koo is extremely popular at a position that does not sit at the cool table. Koo can be well revered in Atlanta and across the global NFL, yet we can simultaneously acknowledge his career-worst-2024 performance.

Football is a team game, and it’s tough to place the blame or the credit for a single win or loss on one player. However, Koo’s 1-4 performance against the New Orleans Saints cost the team a game in a 20-17 loss. The Falcons are one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.

Plenty of Atlanta Falcons have gotten snubbed for being good players on bad teams. Maybe we should be thankful Koo is winning a popularity contest for a franchise that doesn’t win many.