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The Atlanta Falcons didn’t waste time making changes after Sunday’s humiliating 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers. On Monday, the team announced it had fired wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, with offensive passing game coordinator T.J. Yates set to assume his duties moving forward.
The shutout in Charlotte was one of the ugliest performances of the Raheem Morris era, as the Falcons failed to reach the red zone and were blanked for the first time since 2021. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. endured the worst outing of his young career, throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, as the offense sputtered to just 201 passing yards.
The lack of production from Atlanta’s receivers has been a glaring problem through three games. No wideout or tight end has caught a touchdown pass this season, and the Falcons have just one touchdown total in their last eight quarters.
Standout receiver Drake London, who set career highs across the board under Hilliard last year, has only 16 catches for 159 yards with no scores so far. Free agent additions Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud have also struggled to make an impact.
Hilliard, 49, joined the Falcons in 2024 after a stint at Auburn and a decade of NFL coaching experience with Pittsburgh, Washington, and Buffalo. A former first-round pick of the New York Giants, he played 12 seasons in the league before transitioning to coaching.
Yates, 38, is no stranger to the role he’s stepping back into. The former NFL quarterback has been with Atlanta since 2021, serving as wide receivers coach in 2022 and 2023 before moving on to coach quarterbacks last year. He transitioned into his current passing game coordinator role in 2025.
The Falcons (1-2) will try to regroup quickly with a home matchup against the Washington Commanders looming in Week 4.
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“We didn’t play well as a team”: Falcons HC Raheem Morris on disastrous 30-0 Performance
Head coach Raheem Morris didn’t sugarcoat things when he addressed reporters on Monday.
“Full transparency, we didn’t play well as a team. We didn’t play well particularly at the quarterback position,” Morris said. “I love the accountability by Mike [Penix]. I love the accountability by the guys around him. But we didn’t play well enough around him, we didn’t play well enough for him. We didn’t give him the help that was required to go out there and win that football game, from a special teams standpoint or offensive standpoint.”
Morris admitted that the performance wasn’t close to the Falcons’ standard, echoing comments from his players in the locker room. Wide receiver Drake London was just as blunt:
“It just wasn’t good at all. It’s not our standard at all.”
The shutout was Carolina’s largest margin of victory in a decade and left the Falcons searching for answers on offense.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why did the Falcons fire Ike Hilliard?
The Falcons dismissed wide receivers coach Hilliard following a disastrous 30-0 loss to the Panthers, citing the offense’s ongoing struggles in the passing game. Atlanta’s receivers have yet to catch a touchdown this season, and the team has scored only once in its last eight quarters.
Who will replace Ike Hilliard as wide receivers coach?
Passing game coordinator T.J. Yates will take over Hilliard’s duties. Yates previously coached Atlanta’s wide receivers from 2022 to 2023 before moving to quarterbacks and then into his current role.
How did Michael Penix Jr. perform against the Panthers?
Penix Jr. had his worst game as a pro, completing just 31 passes for 201 yards with two costly interceptions, including a pick-six. He has yet to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver or tight end this season.
