FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris reiterated Monday that he has no intentions of making any staff changes on special teams.

Morris had the same response Sunday after the Falcons lost 27-24 to the New York Jets primarily due to that unit’s performance at MetLife Stadium.

“We played awful yesterday on special teams,” Morris said. “I don’t know how to say it any other way.”

There were three glaring issues during the game, two of which became more concerning after dissecting the film.

First, Falcons returner Jamal Agnew muffed a punt at the 7-yard line. The Jets recovered it at the 2-yard line, and their offense scored a touchdown immediately afterward to take an early 7-0 lead.

Morris explained that returners across the league are coached to plant their feet at the 8-yard line – it used to be the 10-yard line – and not move any closer to the end zone, regardless of whether the ball sails overhead. It’s essentially a do-not-cross line for calling a fair catch, and Agnew crossed it. Instead of trying to field that ball, the rule of thumb is to let it hit the ground and potentially bounce into the end zone for a touchback.

“You don’t back up,” Morris said. “That rule is the same. That rules does not change. … You can take that one from your Pop Warner days to your high school days to your pro days. That mistake can’t happen. That was just inexcusable.”

Then, Falcons kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter. This was the least concerning issue, considering Gonzalez otherwise was good from 52 yards out and hit his three extra-point attempts. Still, in a three-point loss, that missed attempt stands out.

The third, and perhaps biggest mistake, came on the first play of the fourth quarter when the Falcons gave up an 83-yard kickoff return. Punter Bradley Pinion kicked the ball to the 2-yard line, and Jets returner Isaiah Williams took it all the way to the opposite 15-yard line.

Atlanta’s defense held New York to a 32-yard field goal from there, but the damage was done. The big return helped tie the score at 17.

Of the Falcons’ five kickoffs, that was the only one Pinion didn’t send deep for a touchback.

“We kicked it in the end zone strategically,” Morris said. “(Nos.) 18, 34 — they’re pretty good returners. We had not been playing well in that phase. Didn’t want them to affect the game.

“Made a decision to kick it — the one we did kick to them — to try to gain some momentum. Get a tackle inside the 20, get a tackle inside the 30. Get the defense, go out there, get a three-and-out. Get a short field for the offense and kind of cap that game. We were putting ourselves in position for it. And boy, did that bite me.”

The touchback strategy made sense. The Jets entered the game ranked third with an average of 28.7 yards per kick return, while the Falcons were 30th in yards per kick return allowed with a 28.4 average. A touchback would safely put the offense at the 35-yard line rather than risk worse.

“Not to say you do it every week, but we definitely decided to do it yesterday,” Morris said. “It was something that we thought we could do to win. It was something that got us to a lead. Then, when we did try to cover that one … we didn’t get it.”

The Jets are now first in yards per kick return with a 29.6 average. On the flip side, the Falcons are last in yards per kick return allowed with a 29.8 average.

New York ultimately sealed its victory with a wonky 56-yard field goal as 35 seconds remained.

So, those moments – along with other problems for the unit this year, such as previous kicking woes – sparked external questions as Week 14 begins about the Falcons’ special teams staff, including coordinator Marquice Williams and assistant Steven King.

“No,” Morris said. “Not at this time. We are obviously in the midst of the season. I got a lot of confidence in what Marquice does. I got a lot of confidence in the coaching techniques. I got a lot of confidence in the guys to go out there and execute it. We just have not done that.”