Being an NFL kicker is no walk in the park. No one notices when you do your job well, but as soon as you miss a few shots, there is collective outrage among fans and Fantasy Football players.
The suffered a three-point loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 and Younghoe Koo's three misses were arguably the difference in the game.
Even though one of his kicks was blocked, it is extremely out of character for Koo to miss two field goals in a game. The veteran kicker took full responsibility for Sunday's loss.
“This game is completely mine,” Koo said after the game. “I’ll take that and yes, that’s not okay. I think we played well enough to win the football game, especially this one, and I let the team down and I don't take that lightly. As a kicker, that’s one of the low points.”
Koo has converted more than his share of hard kicks since joining the Falcons in late 2019. He has been the team's most reliable source of offense over the past three seasons. It's also worth noting that Koo scored the game-winning kick in Atlanta's Week 4 win over the Saints.
Despite the tough day for Koo, his teammates and coaches made sure he had his back after the game.
“He had an off day. It happens,” the Falcons head coach said said after the game. “Shooters shoot often. He went out there and made his shots and didn’t make them.”
Even team owner Arthur Blank comforted Koo as he left the field.
I missed quite a moment After the Falcons' loss, kicker Younghoe Koo pats his chest as they leave the field, then team owner Arthur Blank puts his arm around Koo and talks to him as they leave the field.
— Justin Felder (@Justin_FOX5)
Luckily for the Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also lost in Week 10. Atlanta is still in first place with a two-game lead over the Buccaneers.
