The Atlanta Falcons signed Nick Folk hoping a veteran kicker would finally settle a position that has troubled the franchise for multiple seasons. After Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, his latest miss brought another question for coach Kevin Stefanski.
Folk missed a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, another setback in what has been a difficult first season with Atlanta. Asked afterward whether the Falcons might make a change, Stefanski stayed focused on his current kicker.
Kevin Stefanski Addresses Nick Folk After Bengals Loss
“I expect Nick to make his kicks. Nick expects to make his kicks,” Stefanski said, according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
“He knows we’re counting on him,” Stefanski added.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Daniel Flick also reported that Stefanski called Folk a “pro” and emphasized that the team is relying on him. When asked whether changes were coming at kicker, the coach said he was focused on Sunday’s game.
The missed kick wasn’t the only issue for Atlanta. Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney reported that Stefanski pointed to self-inflicted mistakes that would make beating any opponent difficult.
Still, Folk’s miss came with the Falcons trailing 31-17 early in the fourth quarter. Atlanta had reached Cincinnati’s 10-yard line before an offensive holding penalty on Kyle Pitts helped turn the possession into a 38-yard attempt, which Folk pushed wide left.
Nick Folk’s Historic Field Goal Streak Ends
The miss also ended one of the NFL’s longest-running kicking streaks.
Folk had converted 107 consecutive field goals from inside 40 yards, an NFL record dating to his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His previous miss at that distance was a 31-yard attempt against the New England Patriots on Oct. 5, 2017.
Folk initially broke the NFL record in 2023 while kicking for Tennessee, surpassing Justin Tucker’s previous mark of 70 consecutive makes from that range.
Earlier in Sunday’s game, Folk made a 31-yard field goal to put Atlanta ahead 10-7. He finished 1-for-2 on field goals and made both extra points.
Through nine games, Folk is 13-for-18 on field goals, a 72.2% success rate, and 17-for-18 on extra points. He has already missed five field goals this season after missing only three combined from 2023 through 2025, when he went 78-for-81 (96.3%).
Falcons Kicking Problems Go Beyond Nick Folk
The Falcons have struggled to find stability at kicker since at least 2024, when Younghoe Koo made just 25 of 34 field goals before going on injured reserve. Replacement Riley Patterson went 4-for-7, leaving Atlanta 29-for-41 on the season.
The instability carried into 2025. Koo missed a potential game-tying 44-yarder in the opener against Tampa Bay, and Atlanta eventually replaced him with John Parker Romo. Romo then missed a game-tying extra point in a one-point loss to New England and was replaced by Zane Gonzalez.
Those three kickers finished a combined 32-for-39 on field goals. Gonzalez was the most consistent of the group, making 19 of 22 attempts.
Folk was brought in after making better than 95% of his field goals in each of the previous three seasons. Instead, Atlanta is once again facing questions at a position it had hoped to stop worrying about.
Stefanski previously said he wouldn’t hesitate to send Folk out for another attempt. Across the past three seasons, however, five different Falcons kickers have combined to make just 74 of 98 field goals, a 75.5% success rate.
Falcons’ Kevin Stefanski Addresses Nick Folk’s Future After Bengals Loss