Atlanta Falcons Former Head Coach Set to Return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The Atlanta Falcons are looking to return to the top of the NFC South, something that didn’t happen under the last coaching staff led by Raheem Morris. After the season, the organization decided to go in a different direction by firing the three-year head coach who went 20-25 and did not post a winning season while leading the charge. 

As the NFL released its full schedule Thursday, the Falcons learned when their former head coach will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Morris, who was hired as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator following his firing by the Falcons, will follow his new team to Atlanta for a Week 7 matchup. The two teams will face off for Atlanta’s fourth home game of the season, a 1 pm EDT kickoff on October 25th. 

Instead of Morris running the game from a head-coaching role, it will feature the Falcons' new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, who was hired after his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, against Kyle Shanahan, who holds the second-longest head-coaching tenure in the NFL. 

The Falcons should be more than prepared for this mid-season matchup, as it will be the fourth team they play that made it to the playoffs the season prior. San Francisco went 12-5 last season, winning a playoff game but ultimately falling to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, in the NFC divisional round. 

It will certainly be interesting to monitor how the Falcons faithful will react when Morris makes his return to the franchise’s stomping grounds after not being able to get the team over the hump of making the postseason, something they haven’t done since the 2017 season.