Kevin Stefanski on State of Falcons' Kicking Situation

Kicker struggles continued to mount on Sunday as head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the state of the Atlanta Falcons special teams following a 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain, according to atlantafalcons.com, heavy.com, and clutchpoints.com.

The defeat capped an international trip that left the roster altered by trades and injuries, culminating in a roster shift at the kicker position. Atlanta moved on from veteran Nick Folk and signed Jake Moody off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, as reported by atlantafalcons.com.

Folk joined the Falcons in March after finishing the 2025 season with the New York Jets, where he converted 96.6% of his field goal attempts to lead the NFL. Through nine games in Atlanta, however, he converted just 13 of 18 field goal attempts for a 72.2% success rate, atlantafalcons.com reported.

Stefanski on Folk: I expect Nick to make his kicks. Nick expects to make his kicks. … He knows we're counting on him. #Falcons

— Post by @marcraimondi on X

The struggles came to a head in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati, when Folk pushed a 38-yard field goal wide left with the Falcons trailing 31-17, heavy.com noted. That miss snapped a streak of 107 consecutive successful field goals from inside 40 yards, setting back an NFL record he originally broke in 2023 while with the Tennessee Titans, according to heavy.com.

“I expect Nick to make his kicks. Nick expects to make his kicks,” Stefanski said, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, via heavy.com and clutchpoints.com.

Folk had recorded a field goal percentage of 75% or lower only twice in his 18-season career. His performance in Atlanta marked a sharp departure from his prior three seasons, during which he converted at least 95% of his attempts.

Atlanta falcons training session and press conference madrid spain november — Photo: heavy.com

The kicking instability reflects broader offensive and special teams challenges for the franchise. Across the past three seasons, five different Falcons kickers have combined to make just 74 of 98 field goal attempts, resulting in a 75.5% success rate, heavy.com reported.

The team returns home to host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10 on Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. ET, as reported by clutchpoints.com.

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