New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore stopped short of giving Blake Grupe a full vote of confidence after the kicker missed two more field goals in a 24-10 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, a defeat that dropped New Orleans to 2-9.
Asked directly if he still has faith in Grupe as his starting kicker now that he’s up to eight misses on the season, Moore pivoted to “process” and “evaluation” instead of a clear yes. He called it a frustrating performance and said the staff needs to dig into how the misses happened before deciding what comes next.
Grupe pushed a 38-yarder wide after Mason Tipton’s 75-yard kick return set the offense up at the Atlanta 16, then missed again from 47 seconds before halftime.His only make was a 33-yarder in the fourth quarter that briefly cut the deficit to 16-10.
The Saints never scored an offensive touchdown. Their lone TD came on Justin Reid’s 49-yard pick-six of Kirk Cousins.
Moore Dodges Direct Question on Grupe’s Job Security
In his postgame press conference, Moore was asked point-blank about his kicker: with “up to eight misses now,” did he still see Grupe as his starting kicker going forward?
Instead of answering yes, Moore called it “a frustrating one,” said there has been “a lot of good,” and stressed that the team needs to “go through this full process” to understand how Sunday’s misses happened before making any decisions. He added that the staff will have to “evaluate that” and get a better feel for how the operation broke down.
When pressed on whether he wanted to send a message of patience or accountability, Moore again circled back to communication and evaluation, saying they would talk through the day’s outcomes before deciding on next steps.
It was notable for what he didn’t say as much as what he did. At no point did Moore publicly declare, “Blake is our kicker,” even as he acknowledged there has been good mixed in with the bad.
Quarterback Tyler Shough tried to shoulder some of the blame, pointing out that the offense should have finished drives so they weren’t settling for those kicks in the first place, and said the team still has Grupe’s back. But the head coach’s tone made it clear that every part of the kicking operation is under review.
Grupe’s Misses Pile Up in Career-Worst Season
Sunday’s struggles weren’t a one-off. Grupe has been fighting his swing all year.
He entered Week 12 tied for the most missed field goals in the NFL with six, according to BetMGM. A fresh breakdown of the Falcons game from Pro Football Network notes that his two misses against Atlanta push that total to eight and place him near the bottom of the league in accuracy.
Local coverage has tracked the trend for weeks: Grupe has missed at least one field goal in five of the Saints’ first seven games, and he’s been shaky from the “makeable” ranges that usually define a pro kicker’s floor.
ESPN’s season stats have him at 73.9% on field goals, 36th in the league, though he remains perfect on extra points.That’s a rough combination for a team that struggles to finish drives and needs its kicker to steal points, not give them away.
What It Could Mean for the Saints at 2-9
For now, Moore didn’t announce a change. But by refusing to publicly lock Grupe in as his starter, he left the door open.
The Saints do have an in-house option in developmental kicker Charlie Smith, whom Moore mentioned as someone they’ve been grooming but cautioned is “not going to be the answer to all that” on his own. The coach emphasized that any decision will be part of a broader process that looks at protection, snaps, holds and play-calling in addition to Grupe’s leg.
At 2-9 after a rivalry loss, during a day they wanted to honor legend Jimmy Graham, where they left points on the field, the pressure to act is only going to grow. If Moore ultimately decides the operation needs a shakeup, Sunday’s miss-filled loss to the Falcons may be remembered as the turning point for Blake Grupe’s job security in New Orleans.
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