Trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots, the Atlanta Falcons rallied after Parker Romo booted a 38-yard field goal 52 seconds into the. fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 24-17. The Falcons then went 85 yards in 12 plays and cut the deficit to 24-23 when Michael Pennix, Jr. connected with Drake London for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 4:40 left in the game.
With all the momentum, all that was standing in the way of the Falcons from tying the game was a Romo extra point. The former Virginia Tech kicker pushed it wide right, and that ended up being the difference in a gut-wrenching one-point loss. Atlanta took advantage of mistakes from the Patriots at the end of the first half and in the second half, but when push came to shove, Romo's kick dropped Atlanta to 3-5.
Falcons waive former Virginia Tech kicker Parker Romo
Players defended Romo after the game, but that didn't stop Atlanta from making a tough decision on Tuesday. The Falcons brought in Zane Gonzalez for a tryout, and after watching him, the organization decided to cut Romo and sign the veteran Gonzalez.
The #Falcons are signing veteran K Zane Gonzalez following a workout this morning, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The team is waiving Parker Romo, who was 11-for-14 on FGs with Atlanta and missed a late extra point in the 1-point loss to the #Patriots on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/4bdmxMPk7A
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 4, 2025
Romo signed on with Atlanta earlier this year when they cut ties with long-time kicker Younghoe Koo before a game against the Minnesota Vikings. He kicked well for the Falcons, but in a game that was very winnable at New England, he missed a vital extra point that kept the game from going to overtime.
Nobody was more broken up over the missed extra point than Romo. He was in training camp with the Patriots and lost the battle to rookie Andy Borregales. It was a chance for him to get some revenge, but he meded up missing the biggest kick in the game.