Falcons to search for PK Younghoe Koo's replacement after latest miss

One day after the Falcons failed to put away the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lost an opener for the eighth time in 10 seasons, Atlanta has immediate plans to address the kicker position.

The Falcons missed a chance to begin the 2025 season with a victory over division rival and reigning NFC South champion Tampa Bay when the Buccaneers escaped with a 23-20 win on Sunday.

Head coach Raheem Morris said Monday the Falcons will host veteran kickers in a Tuesday workout that could decide the status of Younghoe Koo, who missed badly on a 44-yard field goal in the final seconds on Sunday and converted another try by banking it off an upright. He has six missed field-goal tries in six games.

Atlanta signed German kicker Lenny Krieg in the offseason before adding him to the practice squad to compete for the job with Koo.

Morris wasn't ready to say Krieg is the immediate replacement, but Koo didn't receive much of an endorsement despite the fact he became Atlanta's kicker in 2019.

"You have to say that right now," Morris said after being asked if Koo was the starter as of Monday. "Tomorrow, we'll work out some veterans, a couple young guys. There are no secrets around here. There's always going to be a highly competitive atmosphere."

Special teams as a whole was a sore subject with Morris on Monday. Atlanta also allowed Kameron Johnson's 54-yard punt return, setting up Tampa Bay's second touchdown.

"We just didn't play well enough on special teams," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters on Monday. "We've got to get better there. Missing that field goal, at that time, to tie it, it's going to be one of the critical points we talk about. ... We've got to bring a competitive edge. We've got to go out there and look for people to compete."

Other areas of the roster were also not as productive as Morris would have liked in the loss.

Bijan Robinson was held to 24 rushing yards. The Atlanta defense - despite holding Tampa Bay to just 260 total yards - allowed Baker Mayfield to lead the Buccaneers down the field in just five plays en route to the game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for 298 yards and a touchdown, adding another score on the ground in his fourth career start. The 25-year-old put the Falcons in position to tie without wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. Penix's top target Drake London left in the fourth quarter on Sunday with a shoulder injury.

Morris didn't have an update on London's injury but is optimistic for a possible return against the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night.

"Drake is a tough human," Morris said. "I feel good about it after talking to him, but I want some clarity."

Top 4 observations for Denver Broncos in Week 1 that are not overreactions

After struggling with the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, is the sky falling in the Mile High City? There is a very simple answer to this, and it's a resounding no.

The Denver Broncos were able to defeat the Tennessee Titans 20-12 on Sunday to win their first season-opening game since 2021. But many fans in Broncos Country and those around the country are already panicking and talking about this team being overrated.

Following the game, there were many fans concerned over the team's play and many doubters making fun of those who picked the Broncos to win get as far as the Super Bowl this year.

your "2025 super bowl dark horse" denver broncos everybody
— Ʊ ColtsHype Ʊ (@ColtsHype) September 7, 2025

And there were thousands more just like that.

For those who don't believe in the team, that will continue all season. But for those in Broncos Country who might need a little reassurance, just remember, the glass can be half full, too. With that said, here are four real observations from this game that are not overreactions.

Denver Broncos Week 1 Observations

Bo Nix is putting too much trust in his arm

Bo Nix played what was probably his worst game for the Broncos on Sunday and that was highlighted by some uncharacteristic mistakes. He threw two terrible interceptions, the kind you saw him avoid as a rookie, and that is a concern.

What's wrong with #Broncos quarterback Bo Nix? | Dover On Denver with @JoshuaDover pic.twitter.com/0jrm8ac7Wa
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) September 9, 2025

But these are things that Nix, who is a total student of the game, will see this in film study and make the appropriate corrections. He was trying to do too much. He didn't take what the defense gave him and he got away from what makes him great. But, by no means, was this performance reason to believe that he is suddenly a bad quarterback.

Sean Payton needs to be better at calling plays

This is what Sean Payton is known for; it's what has made him one of the more respected offensive minds of his generation. But some of his play calls in this game were head scratchers, at best.

Calling a deep shot to Marvin Mims on 4th-and-8 from the Titans' 36-yard line with 1:05 left to play was just bad football, and kept the door open for the upset. He also needs to lean more heavily on his rushing attack starting in Week 2 against the Colts.

The defense is as advertised

The Broncos' defense was touted as being one of the best in the NFL and there was nothing that took place in this game that might change that. The Broncos have elite players all over the defense and are going to be able to win a lot of games because of it.

With the likes of Pat Surtain II, Nik Bonitto and Talanoa Hufanga out there, guys like Justin Strnad and Jonah Elliss stepped up their level of play. This is a good unit with a chance to be great.

The sky is not falling in Denver

How could it be after just one game? A game, by the way, that the Broncos won! Sure, they struggled a bit with a bad Titans team, but Week 1 is historically a weird week in the NFL. This is hardly the game to jump off the bandwagon for.

It was sloppy, but that will get cleaned up. The NFL is a league where wins are hard to come by and you don't get anything extra for style points. The Broncos will be just fine.

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