The Atlanta Falcons will be without one of the better kickers in the NFL over the last few years as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that the Falcons will be placing Younghoe Koo on injured reserve.
What Happened to Younghoe Koo?
During the Falcons’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, Koo made two field goals for the Falcons but was injured on a third attempt that he missed wide left. After the miss, Koo came up limping on his right side, the foot he kicks with.
Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter reported on Thursday that Koo aggravated a muscle in his right hip.
#Falcons K Younghoe Koo told me aggravated a muscle in his right hip.
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) December 19, 2024
Koo has made just 25 of 34 field goals this season (73.5%) after being 86% or higher every year since 2019 when he came to the Falcons. Koo has made all of his extra points this season, but Falcons fans are still quite frustrated with his lack of consistency that they’ve grown accustomed to.
Now without Koo, the Falcons are pivoting to Riley Patterson.
Who Is Riley Patterson?
Patterson has been on quite a journey around the NFL in 2024. The Falcons will be the third team he kicks for this season after stints with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns; Patterson is coming to Atlanta from the Browns practice squad. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated they were expecting another team to grab Patterson this week, and that team ended up being the Falcons.
Patterson has appeared in two games this season, once for the Jets and once for the Browns, he has yet to attempt a field goal but is 4-for-4 on extra point attempts.
SEE MORE: NFL Injury Report
The 2024 season is the fourth of his career, and he has already played for four teams with the Falcons figuring to be his fifth. Patterson has had two stints with the Detroit Lions and the Browns.
Over his career, Patterson has attempted 67 field goals and made 59 of them (88.1%) and is 97-for-101 on extra points (96.0%).
The Falcons will need everyone, including Patterson, to be on their A game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Falcons’ Path to the Playoffs
Atlanta is at a major flux point in its season; head coach Raheem Morris just announced that the team is benching offseason acquisition Kirk Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr. This is coming on the back of the Falcons finally snapping a four-game losing streak that goes back over a month since beating the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 3.
The Falcons are currently 7-7 and a game back of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom they hold a tiebreaker over thanks to beating them twice in October by six and five points. Sitting at .500 they have very little hope of making the playoffs as a Wild Card team unless the Washington Commanders collapse in the last three weeks.
The path to the playoffs for the Falcons runs much more simply through winning the NFC South. One game separates the Buccaneers and Falcons heading into Week 16, and the Bucs face the Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints, while the Falcons face the New York Giants and Panthers as well.
