'Fully On Me': Falcons K Koo Takes Blame After Career-Worst Day at Saints

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goal attempts in Sunday's loss at the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goals Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Hero to zero.

In the Atlanta Falcons' first meeting with the New Orleans Saints -- a 26-24 Atlanta victory on Sept. 29 -- Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after going 4-of-4 on field goals, including a career-long 58-yarder game-winner in the closing seconds.

But that was then. This -- bouncing on his feet while moving his hands atop his head, looking around in disbelief -- is now.

Koo missed three field goals for the first time in his seven-season pro career during the Falcons' 20-17 loss to the Saints on Sunday at Caesars Superdome. He went 1-of-4, nailing a 27-yarder while missing from 53 and 46 and having one blocked from 35.

After the game, Koo accepted blame for Atlanta's defeat.

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"It's not the standard that we have or I have for myself," Koo said, via ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "This game's fully on me. I'll take that. That's not okay. I think we were playing well enough to win the football game, especially this one, and I let the team down and I don't take that lightly.

"It's one of the lowest points as a kicker."

Koo's rough outing extended perhaps the most challenging stretch of his career. He didn't try a field goal attempt in Atlanta's 27-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9, but he did in Weeks 7 and 8 -- and missed one kick in both outings.

Across the Falcons' last four games, Koo is now just 2-of-7 on field goals. He's 17-of-24 for the season, which puts him at 70.8% overall -- the second-worst mark among kickers with double-digit attempts this season.

Yet while Koo was understandably down on himself at his locker postgame, he still has the support of those around him.

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, a 13-year veteran who passed for 308 yards but no touchdowns Sunday, noted Atlanta's offense could have done much more to help Koo's cause.

"I don't feel great about leaving it in the field goal team's hands," Cousins said postgame. "I think it's important we convert third downs, stay on the field, score touchdowns in the redzone, avoid the penalties that back us up in the redzone and just execute down there so we're scoring touchdowns.

"I've always felt when you kick field goals, you tend to lose. When you score touchdowns, you tend to win. So, that's important -- where I kind of take my focus."

The Falcons scored a touchdown on only one of their three redzone trips, though even that came after three straight unsuccessful tries at the goal line.

Even with its redzone struggles, Atlanta put itself in position to win. The Falcons outgained the Saints 468 to 365 in total yards, won time of possession by over 10 minutes, ran 21 more plays and forced five three-and-outs on six second half drives for New Orleans' offense.

And still, Atlanta came up short -- in large part because it left nine points on the board from Koo's misses.

But Falcons head coach Raheem Morris remains behind his $24 million kicker.

"I got all the confidence in the world in Younghoe," Morris said postgame. "He’s one of the best kickers in this game. He's done it for us for a long time. He had an off day. Happens a bunch of times. Shooters shoot. He went out there and took his shots today and didn't make them."

Despite their loss, the Falcons remain atop the NFC South by two games over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta (6-4) returns to action at 4:25 p.m. Sunday against the Denver Broncos (5-5) at Empower Stadium at Mile High in Denver.

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