The Atlanta Falcons have benched their longtime kicker. The team announced Saturday that kicker Younghoe Koo has been downgraded to out for Sunday night's game at the Minnesota Vikings.
In his place, Parker Romo has been elevated from the practice squad. The Falcons signed Romo, a Georgia native who kicked for the Minnesota Vikings last season, on Tuesday.
Koo missed a 44-yard field goal in the closing seconds last week that would have tied the Falcons' game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 23. Koo made 2 of 3 field goals against the Bucs, but one caromed off the right upright. Koo being ruled out is not injury related.
Koo, who missed time last season because of a hip injury, is just 12-of-20 on field goals over his past nine games. Koo, 31, missed nine field goals last year, making just 73.5%, his worst percentage since becoming a full-time kicker with Atlanta in 2019.
Koo was once the most accurate kicker in the league, but now, among kickers with 20 or more field goal attempts since the start of 2024, Koo ranks No. 29 out of 31 in field goal percentage (73%). Romo, 28, was 11-of-12 on field goals last year in four games for Minnesota, his first opportunity to kick in the NFL.
Romo spent training camp with the New England Patriots, but was released on cut-down day. In 2023, he led the XFL in field goal percentage (17-of-19, 89.5%).
The benching
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