A frustrated Raheem Morris accused the New England Patriots of cheating following the Atlanta Falcons’ heartbreaking 24-23 loss at Gillette Stadium.

Looking to avoid their third straight loss, the Falcons put up a heroic fight against one of the NFL’s hottest teams, scoring nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter before Parker Romo missed the game-tying extra point at the 4:40 mark:

After exchanging punts, the Patriots were able to melt the clock on their final possession to secure the one-point victory. Now losers of three straight, the 3-5 Falcons look poised to miss the postseason for the eighth consecutive year.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Raheem Morris accused the Patriots of cheating by simulating the snap on the play where Michael Penix Jr. was flagged for intentional grounding on Atlanta’s final drive, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi:

“They were clapping and simulated our snap,” Morris told reporters. “That’s why the ball got snapped early and Mike wasn’t ready for the snap.”

Penix appeared to agree with Morris’ take after the game, per Raimondi:

Whenever I’m clapping, that means I want the ball, and (center Ryan Neuzil) said he heard them clapping (and) he thought it was my clapping. He snapped the ball, I threw the ball in (Kyle Pitts’) direction. He had just released on routes. I thought I was going to be OK with the grounding part, but obviously that wasn’t the case.”

The intentional grounding penalty against Penix brought up a 3rd-and-20 situation. He threw an incomplete pass, and Raheem Morris curiously decided to punt with only two minutes left and a pair of timeouts in his back pocket. Atlanta didn’t see the ball again.

Raheem Morris’ Job May Be In Jeopardy

Many were surprised when the Falcons hired Morris in the 2024 offseason, as they appeared to have a serious interest in Bill Belichick following his departure from the Patriots. But Morris, who finished the 2020 season as Atlanta’s interim HC, was brought in for a second go with the Falcons.

Morris was hired largely because of his success as a defensive coordinator, having helped the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl 56 championship in the 2021 season. But Atlanta’s defense has been mediocre at best, and Michael Penix hasn’t taken the major step forward that many expected.

With Atlanta heading for another non-playoff season, it’s not too early to wonder if owner Arthur Blank is considering another coaching change. After all, Morris was brought in to make them a playoff contender in a weak NFC South division.