Panthers 30 - Falcons 27
RAHEEM MORRIS: We keep finding ways to make it tough. We certainly do that. Very winnable game for us. We gotta find a way to make a play. We keep saying every single week somebody's gotta make a play, step up at the end, whether it be offense, defense or special teams. Had some opportunities and was not able to get away with it.
Q. From a time management perspective, at any point in this game is there anything else that you would go back and do differently than maybe you did?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I'd have to go look at the tape and find out what you're talking about, what you're referring to. We can go back and look at some of those things and find out.
Q. Coach, do you have an update on Michael Penix?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't. Obviously he left the game and was ruled out. He got ruled out. So we gotta go see where the knee is and where he's at.
Q. Drake London?
RAHEEM MORRIS: The same. Same report on Drake. Obviously he left out the game after that attempt in the end zone and when they were returning.
Q. For the second week in a row, you all finally got the lead late and the defense wasn't able to hold it. What happened here today?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Those guys made plays and we gotta find a way to stop 'em, and we didn't.
Q. On Mike, he was still on the sideline there. Was there any chance of him coming back into the game at all?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Obviously there was a chance, but it was not be looking good and didn't feel great for him to be able to come back out there. There was obviously a chance he was still out there, but didn't look good.
Q. Raheem, can you give us your thoughts on the overtime possessions starting with Natrone not fielding the ball and I guess penalty drop?
RAHEEM MORRIS: We got the sidewinders. Spooky kick. He got out of the way of it. Ended up getting the ball on the 20, which is tough field position, but better than the alternative when you can fumble that thing or drop it. We get the ball and we get a first down by Bijan there. We can't have illegal men down field and can't drop the slant after that.
Q. They moved the ball through the air today, which has not been their M.O. Do you think they were reacting to the way you were playing them or do you think they saw something and tried to attack you specifically?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I think they did a nice job of doing what they do well, going out, taking the completions. They were able to get completions down the field that we usually can stop. We were not able to stop them today. We gotta make the plays down the field. We gotta make the plays wherever, you know, move A.J. around do some different things. We tried to do that today and they were able to find other people.
Q. Do you feel like you have to do something dramatically different at this point just to stop this slide?
RAHEEM MORRIS: It's hard to say that when you keep losing these type of games. These games are coming down to one-possession games. You just gotta find a way to win it. Gotta find a way to do something different to win that football game. You gotta find a way to make that play. You gotta find a way to do those things.
Dramatic would be a little bit over the top when you're in these close games versus respectable teams and very good football teams, and we gotta find a way to win these games.
Q. You have consistently believed this team would respond the right way. Do you become worried about that at all after five straight losses?
RAHEEM MORRIS: You do. Obviously. I'd say you do worry about the guys responding the right way, particularly as you get injury, but there's no room for excuses, and we won't make them.
Q. What knee was it with Penix?
RAHEEM MORRIS: To be honest, I didn't ask that question.
Q. You don't know if the one he's had --
RAHEEM MORRIS: I think it's the same knee that it was previous this injury. That wasn't really the focus for me at the time. I could find out for you tomorrow.
Q. And your frustration level is focused on what? What's the most frustrating thing?
RAHEEM MORRIS: You gotta find a way to win that game. You got some winnable moments there, whether it be the fourth down and four. You got the opportunity to get the run there. You got a couple different opportunities there, the last play to Drake, couple different opportunities to find ways to go win those football games. And we keep putting ourselves in position and we keep coming up short, and that's gotta stop.
Q. Similar question. Two fourth down stops from the fourth quarter from this defense on 4th and 1. Talk a little bit about those. And James Pearce's performance. He had some big plays in this contest as well.
RAHEEM MORRIS: I really gotta go look at the game as a whole and really bead on individualized people. But I know James I saw get up with a couple big plays in there and do some really good things. We got the fourth down stops. We just didn't get the one we needed in that 4th and 4 to be able to get off the grass for the win.
Q. Coach, you guys had some things working in the first half. The second half, different story. Was it a lapse in execution? Was there anything that led to those inconsistencies that you saw?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Yeah, our quarterback went out, and we gotta go find a way to execute with whoever. They were able to load the box and be able to stop our run. Our run game was clicking pretty good in the first half, and it didn't click as well in the second. We gotta be able to go get a better opportunity to earn some of those first downs and be able to throw and catch and moves the chains, and we weren't able to do that.
Q. Coach, your thoughts on Zane Gonzalez's 52-yard field goal. That was pretty clutch.
RAHEEM MORRIS: Zane has answered the bell. He's answered some problems right there being able to make some of these field goals and be able to make the extra points and make them look clean, be able to go out there and do those things. I'm very proud of the way he's been performing, and he's been looking good these last few weeks.
Q. Looks like Ronnie Harrison came in there, had a pretty good day today in place of J.D. Bertrand. What did you make of the rotation there in that room and of his performance today?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Again, with the individual performers you always gotta go look back at it. Right now it stands out the play that we missed right there in the overtime, and we gotta make that play.
Obviously he made some critical plays. I saw the knock-down pass. He was able to rush the passer really well, able to chase really well, run hard, play hard. That's what he's been doing since he's had these opportunities, whether it's been special teams, defense or whatever the case may be.
So we'll go back and watch the tape and be able to praise some of the guys that played really well, but right now we gotta find a way to win the football game.
Q. When you have to switch from Penix to Cousins, how does it affect play calling, and what effect does it have on the offense as a whole?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Obviously it affects your play calling for sure when you change quarterbacks, and you gotta do what that quarterback does well. So we'll go find out what Kirk does well this week. I'm sure he'll have some input on it, and so will Zac and those guys will work together, depending on what happens with Michael. And we'll be able to figure those things out when it gets closer to practice on Wednesday.
Q. Raheem, I know you're frustrated. We've heard repeatedly, we can't have this, we gotta fix that. How would you assess your leadership and just the inability to stop those things from happening?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Not good. We've lost a bunch of games in a row in tight moments, and you gotta find a way to win those games, man. It definitely is on me. There's no such thing as a losing team. There's only a losing leader, and I'm the leader, and we lost.
Q. You guys were adamant that you wanted to keep Kirk because you felt like it would give you a really solid backup quarterback. It hasn't played out that way on the field. Any idea why yet?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I would like to see him go out there and get a win today. He played some good ball, did some good things, but you gotta go get a win. It never feels good when you don't win the football game. We'll go look at it. We'll go assess it. We'll find a way to fix and get back and get at it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports