The Atlanta Falcons have deactivated Kicker Younghoe Koo for their Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Koo’s absence is listed as a “Coach’s Decision” on the injury report. Koo missed a game-tying field goal in the waning moments of last weekend’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that drew the ire of Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris. XFL kicker Parker Romo will take his place on the roster for the game.
Younghoe Koo’s History
Despite the crucial miss in Week 1, Koo has been a solid kicker for the Falcons. Starting his seventh season with the team, the Georgia Southern product has made 87% of his field goal attempts for Atlanta. His miss from 44 yards out against the Bucs was one of only 16 kicks he has missed under 50 yards during that period, and it was his only miss last week. Last season, though, was Koo’s worst with the team. He hit just 73.5% of his field goals in 14 games.
“He missed it. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I can tell you about the technique and what happened with that miss. But we got to make those kicks. Those are very makeable kicks. We’ve got to lock in and get that done, Morris said after Koo’s miss at the end of Atlanta’s 23-20 loss at home to Tampa Bay.
Getting To Know Parker Romo
Romo made his name playing for the 2023 San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL. He hit 17-of-19 field goals that season and was named to the All-XFL Team. Romo holds the record for the longest field goal in XFL history at 57 yards. He played in four NFL games for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2024 season. During that run, he was 11 for 12 on field goals, with a long of 55 yards, and he made seven of eight extra points.
Coach’s Decision
Koo was a proven commodity for the Falcons until last season. Coming off that down year, Morris evidently had the 31-year-old South Korean kicker on a short leash. When Koo missed in the clutch last week, Morris decided to make a change. Even if it was only Week 1. The kick was not close, but Koo had been one of the more accurate kickers in team history. Morris is now willing to roll the dice on the 28-year-old unproven Romo going into a tough game against Romo’s former team in Week 2. We shall see how that plays out on Sunday night in Minnesota.
