The Atlanta Falcons have fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake after a disappointing season on that side of the ball, the team announced Saturday.
Lake had been with the Falcons for just a single season, coming over from the Los Angeles Rams with first-year Atlanta coach Raheem Morris. Lake was the assistant head coach with the Rams in 2023 and previously the head coach at the University of Washington.
The Falcons also fired defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, who had previously been with the Los Angeles Chargers.
"After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team's future, we deemed these moves necessary," Morris said in a statement. "These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best."
Atlanta finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs after starting 6-3, its best start since its 2016 Super Bowl appearance season.
After a Week 18 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Morris was visibly upset about how the team's defense, which allowed 44 points, performed. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing).
Morris said he was "really shocked" and that the defense "did not come out to play." With a win and Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss in Week 18, the Falcons would have made the playoffs.
Over the course of the season, the Falcons allowed the highest quarterback completion percentage in the NFL (69.9%) and the second-most touchdown passes (34). The team's pass rush, long a franchise bugaboo, improved after the Week 12 bye when Morris, who won a Super Bowl as Rams defensive coordinator, became more hands-on. But Atlanta still finished second to last in the NFL in sacks (31) and quarterback pressure percentage (28.1%).
The rushing defense was only marginally better. The Falcons finished with the 10th-worst rush EPA (-9.9) in the league.
