The Atlanta Falcons made a significant mistake at a pivotal moment in Sunday night’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and head coach Raheem Morris is taking full responsibility.
Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game, the Falcons desperately needed to stop the San Francisco offense and get the ball back to their offense to have any hope of winning the game. However, the Falcons were unable to do that with the 49ers converting on a crucial third-and-13 with 2:46 left on the clock when Niners running back Christian McCaffrey got a first down on a 17-yard reception.
It was a great play for the Niners, but an “embarrassing” mistake from the 49ers made it a lot easier.
After the game, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris confirmed what many fans had observed on that crucial play: the defense only had 10 men on the field.
“There absolutely was \[10 men on the field\] and it’s absolutely embarrassing,” Morris said via [Pro Football Talk](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/raheem-morris-its-embarrassing-my-fault-we-had-10-defenders-on-third-and-13). “And it’s my fault. I’ll get it fixed.”
Morris was asked to explain how a mistake like that happened at such a crucial point in the game, but he didn’t necessarily want to get into specifics.
“It doesn’t matter,” Morris said. “It’s my fault.”
The Falcons will have a chance to bounce back next week with a showdown against the Miami Dolphins.