ATLANTA — KhaDarel Hodge’s left thigh pad has the silhouette of a guitar on it. His proper thigh pad reads “Rock Out” in script letters. They’re the remnants of a landing celebration he developed when he performed in Cleveland, one in every of many stops in a protracted and principally nameless soccer profession.
Hodge mimics breaking a guitar, taking one other one out of its case and enjoying air guitar. Thursday evening would have been the proper time to do it. Sadly, the Atlanta Falcons vast receiver “blacked out,” he stated.
Hodge, a reserve vast receiver on the sector solely as a result of Drake London suffered an damage on the earlier play, caught a 45-yard landing move in extra time to provide the Falcons a walk-off 36-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I blacked out. I got here again to, and the subsequent factor I do know I’m on the bottom,” Hodge stated. “Hopefully, I’ll get in the long run zone once more, and I received’t black out, and I’ll really do the celebration.”
Hodge’s landing gave the Falcons (3-2) their unlikeliest win in a season that’s already stuffed with them. Atlanta’s decisive scores in its three wins have all come inside the remaining 36 seconds of regulation or extra time. Thursday was the second time this season that the Falcons have received a recreation through which they’d lower than a 5 p.c win chance at one level, in keeping with Subsequent Gen Stats. They’d no such wins between 2016 and 2023.
KHADAREL HODGE CALLED GAME#TNFonPrime | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/vtKobQt7gc
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 4, 2024
So perhaps it was becoming that this victory was sealed by Hodge, who was born in D’Lo, Miss., performed collegiately at Alcorn State, Hinds Neighborhood Faculty and Prairie View A&M and has made 4 stops within the NFL, hanging on to a job principally due to his particular groups prowess.
“Purple, we name him Purple, he’s simply made performs all camp, exhibits up on particular groups on a regular basis,” quarterback Kirk Cousins stated. “While you’re coming from Prairie View, you’ve bought to have some critical tape to get seen out of faculty, so it didn’t actually shock me as a result of I believed, ‘That’s in all probability how he bought on this league and possibly why he’s stayed on this league.’ I’m so grateful we didn’t must trot our crimson zone offense on the market on the 3-yard line. He simply ended it.”
Hodge’s catch pushed Cousins previous 500 passing yards in a recreation for the primary time in his 13-year profession. Cousins completed 42 of 58 for 509 yards and 4 touchdowns, setting not simply his personal private yardage mark but in addition the Falcons’ franchise report of 503 yards, established by Matt Ryan in 2016. As if the sport wanted any extra storylines, Ryan was within the constructing Thursday as a result of he was inducted into the workforce’s Ring of Honor at halftime.
“I simply needed Matt to have the ability to have a particular evening,” Cousins stated.
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Even with Cousins’ historic evening, Hodge bought all the eye within the locker room after the sport. Teammates Zach Harrison and Ruke Orhorhoro had been repeatedly watching clips of his play and shouting whereas Hodge was surrounded by media members close by. At 12:15 a.m., Hodge’s cellphone had 160 textual content messages, and so they had been nonetheless rolling in.
It was Hodge’s second landing in 5 days. He recovered a muffed punt for a landing within the Falcons’ Week 4 win over the New Orleans Saints. He had one landing in his earlier six seasons.
“These final two weeks for me have been wild and only a blessing. I pray for instances like these each evening,” Hodge stated. “I simply pray to get in the long run zone some kind of approach. To get in it on particular groups after which come again and get it like this, I’m simply so grateful, and I thank God for it.”
Speak your discuss, Hodge! 🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/skmKwNAWN5
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
Darnell Mooney ribbed Hodge after the sport as a result of he was in tears on the sector after his catch.
“I’m in all probability going to have a tough time within the assembly room,” Hodge stated. “I used to be attempting to carry again the tears, however they got here out. The folks near me know what I’ve been via and the alternatives I pray for. The blokes within the locker room will inform you it’s effectively deserved as a result of I put in a lot work.”
“He’s been working his ass off,” Falcons security Richie Grant stated. “If any man deserves to have that second, it’s him. Final one off the sector each single day.”
Hodge hit 19.7 mph on his option to the tip zone, the second-fastest velocity of his profession, in keeping with Subsequent Gen Stats, which calculated the play because the sixth-most-improbable landing within the NFL this season.
KhaDarel Hodge reached a high velocity of 19.70 MPH on his game-winning TD reception in extra time, his 2nd-fastest velocity as a ball provider in his profession.
Hodge’s landing was the Sixth-most unbelievable landing reception of the season (0.03% chance).#TBvsATL | @AtlantaFalcons pic.twitter.com/NMXzEP0aod
— Subsequent Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 4, 2024
“As soon as I seen them excessive knees begin going, I threw my arms within the air and began screaming,” stated London, who had 12 catches for 154 yards. “I believe he shocked some of us.”
“That’s particular, man,” punt returner Avery Williams stated. “He deserves it fully. It’s simply good to see one thing like that occur to a man like him who’s devoted. He’s extraordinarily detailed. He’s an incredible teammate.”
Hodge, who joined the league as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, had 57 catches for 864 yards and one landing in 97 video games earlier than Thursday evening. He led the Falcons in particular groups tackles in 2022 and leads once more this 12 months.
“They’ll must kick me out of (the NFL),” he stated. “I’m going to work laborious each day. To have such a second, it exhibits, ‘Simply hold regular, hold going, irrespective of what’s going on.’ Adversity goes to strike. Generally you’re going to really feel such as you’re out of it, however you simply must hold working, hold praying.”
Hodge was one in every of seven Falcons to catch a move towards Tampa Bay (3-2) as Atlanta gained 550 yards, its highest complete since 2016. Cousins handed for 253 yards within the first half and 256 yards within the second half and extra time, turning into the primary participant in NFL historical past to high 250 yards earlier than and after halftime in a single recreation, in keeping with OptaSTATS.
Not unhealthy contemplating he thought the sport was over when he threw an interception to linebacker Lavonte David on fourth-and-15 on the Atlanta 28-yard line with 1:52 left within the recreation and the Falcons trailing 30-27.
“I walked off the sector considering, ‘There it’s; we weren’t capable of do it,’ however the protection stepped up,” Cousins stated.
After 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 subject objective as time expired. The Falcons received the extra time coin toss and scored on their first possession.
“I’ve been in some loopy video games and been on the shedding finish of numerous them, so to have one like this, extra time, walk-off, at residence, on a Thursday evening, towards an incredible soccer workforce within the division, it’s an incredible efficiency, and it exhibits numerous character and resilience,” Cousins stated. “It was a giant evening, one I’ll always remember.”
(Picture: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Photographs)