What happened to Younghoe Koo? Examining why the Falcons kicker is sidelined in Week 17

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo will miss the Falcons’ upcoming game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.

Why is he out, when can he return and who will join the Dirty Birds as the 2020 Pro Bowl kicker in Week 17?

Why isn’t Younghoe Koo playing in Week 17?

According to Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter, Koo suffered a muscle injury in his right hip during the Falcons’ Week 15 win against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Koo had made just 25 of 34 field goals (73.5%) this season after shooting 86% or better every year since 2019, when he joined the Falcons. Koo has made all of his extra points this season, but the Falcons kicker hasn’t been as consistent as he has been in the past.

MORE: Updated Week 17 playoff series

And perhaps his injury explains why. The Falcons placed Koo on injured reserve on December 18. Head Coach Raheem Morris spoke about Koo’s injury and what’s next for the team:

“Our guys have always allowed us to bring people here,” Morris said. “We’ve had a couple of kickers over the last few weeks since he went on the injury report a few weeks ago. So we’ve always been pretty cautious when it comes to Younghoe Koo when it comes to these things.”

So if Koo can’t go, who will the Falcons turn to?

Who is Riley Patterson?

With Koo unable to leave, the Falcons will turn to Riley Patterson.

This will be the third team to kick Patterson this season. He kicked the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns this season before I came to Atlanta. Patterson comes to Atlanta from the Browns’ practice squad. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that they expected another team to snag Patterson this week, and that team ended up being the Falcons.

Patterson appeared in two games this season, once for the Jets and once for the Browns; He has yet to attempt a field goal, but is 4 of 4 on extra point attempts.