The Atlanta Falcons are standing behind veteran kicker Nick Folk despite some difficulties this season.

Folk entered the season coming off one of the most accurate campaigns of his career. Folk led the NFL in field goal percentage with the New York Jets in 2025 and with the Titans the two years prior. He'd only missed three field goals in the last three seasons combined, all three from over 50 yards.

However, the 41-year-old has experienced a noticeable decline in accuracy during his first season in Atlanta.

Through seven games, Folk had converted 12 of 15 field goal attempts, an 80% success rate. That represents a significant drop from his production last season, when he made 28 of 29 attempts for a league-leading 96.6% conversion rate. He also converted all 22 extra point attempts in 2025, and he didn't miss in 2024 either, compared with 15 of 16 this season.

Despite this, special teams coach Craig Aukerman is not concerned about Folk's ability to recover.

"We have all the confidence in the world with him," Aukerman said.

Folk's experience is one reason the Falcons remain confident in their kicker. The veteran has spent nearly two decades in the NFL, and Aukerman understands that his role is not necessarily to overhaul Folk's technique after every missed kick.

Instead, the special teams coordinator wants to help the kicker maintain his confidence.

"My biggest thing is I just want to support him," Aukerman said. "If there are things that I can tell him along the way, whether it's a plant foot or whether it's his angle, or whether I see a few things here and there."

Aukerman also emphasized the importance of moving forward rather than allowing one missed kick to affect the next opportunity.

"I want to be out there and let him know that, hey, we're moving on to the next one. And the next one is the most important kick that you have."

That approach was evident after Folk missed an extra point. 

"That's the greatest thing, again, about Nick. He can self-correct himself at any point in time," Aukerman said.

Folk subsequently converted all three of his field goal attempts against the San Francisco 49ers, providing a positive response after the missed extra point.

Atlanta signed Folk in March after cycling through three kickers during the 2025 season. His recent track record made him an appealing option for a team seeking stability at the position. 

Before joining Atlanta, Folk had made at least 95% of his field goal attempts in each of the previous three seasons. He converted 29 of 30 attempts with Tennessee in 2023, 21 of 22 in 2024, and 28 of 29 with New York in 2025. To be fair, two of his three misses this year have been beyond 50 yards.

Those numbers explain why the Falcons are willing to be patient. Folk has demonstrated that he can deliver consistent results over an extended period, even if his early production in Atlanta has fallen short of that standard.

For now, the Falcons are relying on Folk, and a few mistakes will not change the team's belief in its veteran kicker.