An ex-Giant took the fall for the Falcons’ grounded passing attack.
Atlanta fired wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard following Sunday’s shocking 30-0 road loss to the Panthers, the team announced Monday night.
Passing game coordinator T.J. Yates has been promoted to assume the vacated responsbilities.
The Falcons (1-2) entered the year hoping to build off the solid showing first-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. showed after replacing Kirk Cousins, but he has not played well to start the season.
Penix has thrown for just 605 yards across three games with one touchdown and two interceptions.
It’s not a good sign that star running back Bijan Robinson is the team’s leading receiver with 14 catches for 164 yards and has the team’s lone receiving touchdown.
Former first-round pick Drake London has disappointed fantasy football mangers with just 16 catches for 159 yards, while Ray-Ry McCloud III and Darnell Mooney have combined for 135 receiving yards.
London and Mooney combined for nine catches and 99 yards against a leaky secondary in Sunday’s loss, with Penix tallying 172 passing yards on 18-of-36 passing.
Last season, the two receivers combined for 164 catches, 2,263 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, with London posting a 100-1,271-9 slash line.
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Amid this uninspiring start, the Falcons decided to move on from Hilliard, who joined the coaching staff following Raheem Morris’ hiring prior to the 2024 season.
He previously spent time as a receivers coach with the Steelers, Commanders and Bills.
The Giants drafted Hilliard with the No. 7 pick in the 1997 NFL Draft and he played for Big Blue from 1997-2004 before finishing his career with the Buccaneers.
Hilliard tallied 368 catches for 4,630 yards and 27 touchdowns with the Giants, and started 14 games for the 2000 team that lost to the Ravens in the Super Bowl.
Yates served in Hilliard’s capacity before moving to the passing game coordinator position.
The Falcons aim to avoid a 1-3 start Sunday in Week 4 when they host the Commanders, and Washington is a 2.5-point road favorite at DraftKings.