ATLANTA — KhaDarel Hodge’s left thigh dwelling has the silhouette of a guitar on it. His proper thigh dwelling reads “Rock Out” in script letters. They’re the remnants of a landing birthday celebration he advanced when he performed in Cleveland, one of the stops in an extended and most commonly nameless soccer occupation.
Hodge mimics breaking a guitar, taking any other one out of its case and taking part in breeze guitar. Thursday evening would were the easiest presen to do it. Sadly, the Atlanta Falcons broad receiver “blacked out,” he stated.
Hodge, a book broad receiver at the garden simplest as a result of Drake London suffered an trauma at the earlier play games, stuck a 45-yard landing go in additional time to present the Falcons a walk-off 36-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I blacked out. I came back to, and the next thing I know I’m on the ground,” Hodge stated. “Hopefully, I’ll get in the end zone again, and I won’t black out, and I’ll actually do the celebration.”
Hodge’s landing gave the Falcons (3-2) their unlikeliest win in a season this is already filled with them. Atlanta’s decisive ratings in its 3 wins have all come throughout the ultimate 36 seconds of legislation or additional time. Thursday was once the second one presen this season that the Falcons have received a tournament during which that they had lower than a 5 p.c win anticipation at one level, in line with Later Gen Stats. That they had negative such wins between 2016 and 2023.
KHADAREL HODGE CALLED GAME#TNFonPrime | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/vtKobQt7gc
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 4, 2024
So possibly it was once becoming that this victory was once sealed by way of Hodge, who was once born in D’Lo, Pass over., performed collegiately at Alcorn Atmosphere, Hinds Society School and Prairie View A&M and has made 4 stops within the NFL, putting directly to a task most commonly as a result of his particular groups prowess.
“Red, we call him Red, he’s just made plays all camp, shows up on special teams all the time,” quarterback Kirk Cousins stated. “When you’re coming from Prairie View, you’ve got to have some serious tape to get noticed out of college, so it didn’t really surprise me because I thought, ‘That’s probably how he got in this league and probably why he’s stayed in this league.’ I’m so grateful we didn’t have to trot our red zone offense out there on the 3-yard line. He just ended it.”
Hodge’s catch driven Cousins presen 500 passing yards in a tournament for the primary presen in his 13-year occupation. Cousins completed 42 of 58 for 509 yards and 4 touchdowns, surroundings now not simply his personal non-public yardage mark but in addition the Falcons’ franchise document of 503 yards, established by way of Matt Ryan in 2016. As though the sport wanted to any extent further storylines, Ryan was once within the development Thursday as a result of he was once inducted into the crew’s Ring of Honor at halftime.
“I just wanted Matt to be able to have a special night,” Cousins stated.
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Even with Cousins’ historical evening, Hodge were given all of the consideration within the depot room upcoming the sport. Teammates Zach Harrison and Ruke Orhorhoro had been time and again staring at clips of his play games and shouting hour Hodge was once surrounded by way of media individuals within sight. At 12:15 a.m., Hodge’s mobile phone had 160 textual content messages, they usually had been nonetheless rolling in.
It was once Hodge’s moment landing in 5 days. He recovered a muffed punt for a landing within the Falcons’ Day 4 win over the Fresh Orleans Saints. He had one landing in his earlier six seasons.
“These last two weeks for me have been wild and just a blessing. I pray for times like these every night,” Hodge stated. “I just pray to get in the end zone some type of way. To get in it on special teams and then come back and get it like this, I’m just so grateful, and I thank God for it.”
Communicate your communicate, Hodge! pic.twitter.com/skmKwNAWN5
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
Darnell Mooney ribbed Hodge upcoming the sport as a result of he was once in tears at the garden upcoming his catch.
“I’m probably going to have a hard time in the meeting room,” Hodge stated. “I was trying to hold back the tears, but they came out. The people close to me know what I have been through and the opportunities I pray for. The guys in the locker room will tell you it’s well deserved because I put in so much work.”
“He’s been working his ass off,” Falcons protection Richie Lend stated. “If any guy deserves to have that moment, it’s him. Last one off the field every single day.”
Hodge accident 19.7 mph on his method to the tip zone, the second-fastest velocity of his occupation, in line with Later Gen Stats, which calculated the play games because the sixth-most-improbable landing within the NFL this season.
KhaDarel Hodge reached a manage velocity of nineteen.70 MPH on his game-winning TD reception in additional time, his Second-fastest velocity as a ball service in his occupation.
Hodge’s landing was once the Sixth-most inconceivable landing reception of the season (0.03% anticipation).#TBvsATL | @AtlantaFalcons pic.twitter.com/NMXzEP0aod
— Later Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 4, 2024
“Once I seen them high knees start going, I threw my hands in the air and started screaming,” stated London, who had 12 catches for 154 yards. “I think he surprised some folks.”
“That’s special, man,” punt returner Avery Williams stated. “He deserves it completely. It’s just nice to see something like that happen to a guy like him who’s dedicated. He’s extremely detailed. He’s a great teammate.”
Hodge, who joined the league as an undrafted isolated agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, had 57 catches for 864 yards and one landing in 97 video games ahead of Thursday evening. He led the Falcons in particular groups tackles in 2022 and leads once more this 12 months.
“They are going to have to kick me out of (the NFL),” he stated. “I am going to work hard every day. To have this type of moment, it shows, ‘Just keep steady, keep going, no matter what is going on.’ Adversity is going to strike. Sometimes you’re going to feel like you’re out of it, but you just have to keep working, keep praying.”
Hodge was once one in every of seven Falcons to catch a go towards Tampa Bay (3-2) as Atlanta received 550 yards, its best possible overall since 2016. Cousins handed for 253 yards within the first part and 256 yards in the second one part and additional time, changing into the primary participant in NFL historical past to manage 250 yards ahead of and upcoming halftime in one tournament, in line with OptaSTATS.
Now not sinister taking into consideration he idea the sport was once over when he threw an interception to linebacker Lavonte David on fourth-and-15 on the Atlanta 28-yard series with 1:52 left within the tournament and the Falcons trailing 30-27.
“I walked off the field thinking, ‘There it is; we weren’t able to do it,’ but the defense stepped up,” Cousins stated.
Upcoming Atlanta’s protection pressured a three-and-out, Cousins and the Falcons went 46 yards in 1:14 seconds to arrange Younghoe Koo’s score-tying 52-yard garden purpose as presen expired. The Falcons received the additional time coin toss and scored on their first ownership.
“I have been in some crazy games and been on the losing end of a lot of them, so to have one like this, overtime, walk-off, at home, on a Thursday night, against a great football team in the division, it’s a great performance, and it shows a lot of character and resilience,” Cousins stated. “It was a big night, one I’ll never forget.”
(Picture: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Photographs)
