LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Raheem Morris and the Atlanta Falcons left five timeouts unused, and they may have an extended chance to linger over those mistakes.
The Falcons have run out of time to control their own path to the playoffs after mismanaging the clock multiple times in a 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders. They needed a victory to set up a win-and-get-in situation in the regular-season finale, and now Tampa Bay is in the driver's seat for the NFC South title.
Morris declined to use all three of his timeouts at the end of the first half before settling for a field goal. He had two left in the waning minutes of regulation before Riley Patterson tried a 56-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left that fell short.
The first-year coach acknowledged he “probably could have” taken one after Michael Penix Jr. connected with Darnell Mooney on a 25-yard completion with 40 seconds left. Instead, the clock wound down to 17 seconds because he was “trying to save that timeout.”
“In hindsight, it could have been a better decision to take that timeout, but I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there so you can always second guess those things,' Morris said after his team's defeat that punched the Commanders' ticket to the playoffs. "Can always second-guess those motives. Can always go back and look at it to see if you could have snapped it a little quicker. But I really believe we can get our operation time a little faster and to save that timeout."
Questionable coaching came back to bit the Falcons, including a near-total abandonment of the running game that was picking Washington apart for much of the first half. Bijan Robinson had 13 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns until there was one minute left before halftime, and he was handed the ball just four more times for 8 yards the rest of the way.
Penix, the rookie quarterback taken with the eighth pick and making his second NFL start, pointed to a three-and-out in the third quarter as the culprit behind Atlanta becoming unbalanced. The Commanders had the ball for 12:53 and the Falcons for just 2:07 in the third.
“We didn’t really have the ball much," said Penix, who was 19 of 35 for 223 yards, a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts and an interception. “I believe we ran three plays. We just got to sustain drives. We can’t go three-and-out. Our mindset each and every time we step on the field is to get points. Whenever we have the opportunity based on that, it could have made us go one way or the other passing or running the ball.”
The Falcons had the chance to go up 21-7 instead of 17-7 at halftime, though Morris defended his strategy as a way to not leave Jayden Daniels and Co. the chance to get the ball back: "Took the field goal. Got out of dodge.”
Penix deferred to Morris on when to use timeouts.
“That’s on Coach Raheem,” Penix said. “He calls the timeouts whenever he feels fit. He trusted in us to get the plays off and make the next play. We all trust coach’s judgement on that, so that’s what we are going to lean on.”
The Falcons must now lean on New Orleans to beat Tampa Bay. After five losses in seven games, they need that and a victory against Carolina to reach the playoffs.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris talks to reporters after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won in overtime 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 3, 2025--
As vehicle development becomes increasingly complex with the transition to electromobility and the integration of software across almost all components, seamless coordination among specialized departments involved is more critical than ever. At the same time, competitive pressures demand shorter development cycles, making traditional methods of data exchange, such as point-to-point interfaces or manual processes, less efficient and prone to inconsistencies. However, a high level of data consistency is essential to ensure smooth development, integration, and validation, particularly in the development of electric control units and onboard communication systems.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250403719346/en/
Establishing a central master data hub for electrics/electronics development
To tackle these challenges, BMW Group initiated the development of a central master data hub for the E/E development process and entrusted BearingPoint with the functional conceptualization of the master data portfolio as well as the technical integration and operations. Relevant data is imported from the IT system where it is generated, and it is also harmonized both from a functional and technical perspective before being linked to other data. Then, it is distributed to all IT systems whose users require it for their product development activities. The project team built robust yet flexible standard interfaces that significantly streamline data exchange.
Together with the general platform development and technical integration of the new hub with more than 70 IT systems, BearingPoint continuously supports the BMW Group in the functional harmonization of the distributed data. This approach was crucial to meet the different needs and perspectives of various departments in developing electric control units. Additionally, the quality of processed data is proactively ensured to prevent the distribution of inaccurate records across the organization.
“By working closely with BMW Group, we’ve developed a solution that enables digital continuity and significantly strengthens cross-departmental collaboration, to address the complexities of modern vehicle development. It reflects the transformative potential of high-quality and, most importantly, available master data on business processes which originates in combining cutting-edge technology with the right data strategy,” said Patrick Kirchhof, Partner at BearingPoint.
Accelerating time-to-market and data quality improvements
The BMW Group’s centrally provisioned data hub has increased the efficiency of the product development process at the BMW Group, enabling seamless collaboration between numerous departments based on a unified, up-to-date, and high-quality data foundation. The hub supports faster development cycles in these times of constantly increasing vehicle complexity. Additionally, the central hub simplifies the IT landscape by reducing point-to-point interfaces, which helps reduce development and maintenance costs. Overall, the solution contributes to the continuous optimization of the product development process.
The full client story is available here: https://www.bearingpoint.com/en/insights-events/client-stories/bmw-group/
About BearingPoint
BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach. The company operates in three business units: Consulting, Products, and Capital. Consulting covers the advisory business with a clear focus on selected business areas. Products provides IP-driven digital assets and managed services for business-critical processes. Capital delivers M&A and transaction services.
BearingPoint’s clients include many of the world’s leading companies and organizations. The firm has a global consulting network with more than 10,000 people and supports clients in over 70 countries, engaging with them to achieve measurable and sustainable success.
BearingPoint is a certified B Corporation, meeting high standards of social and environmental impact.
For more information, please visit:
Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com
Data Quality Navigator: https://dataqualitynavigator.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint
BearingPoint is supporting BMW Group in establishing a central data hub to create a high-quality data foundation for the electrical/electronics (E/E) development process to enable cross-departmental digital continuity and shorter time-to-market.
