How an NFL journeyman ‘blacked out’ and gave the Falcons one other unlikely win

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 among many stops in a protracted and largely nameless soccer profession.

Hodge mimics breaking a guitar, taking one other one out of its case and enjoying air guitar. Thursday night time 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 time beyond regulation 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 ultimately zone once more, and I received’t black out, and I’ll truly 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 throughout the last 36 seconds of regulation or time beyond regulation. Thursday was the second time this season that the Falcons have received a sport during which they’d lower than a 5 % win chance at one level, in line 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 School and Prairie View A&M and has made 4 stops within the NFL, hanging on to a job largely due to his particular groups prowess.

“Purple, we name him Purple, he’s simply made performs all camp, reveals up on particular groups on a regular basis,” quarterback Kirk Cousins stated. “Whenever you’re coming from Prairie View, you’ve obtained to have some severe tape to get observed out of faculty, so it didn’t actually shock me as a result of I believed, ‘That’s most likely how he obtained on this league and doubtless why he’s stayed on this league.’ I’m so grateful we didn’t must trot our purple 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 sport 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 document 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 crew’s Ring of Honor at halftime.

“I simply needed Matt to have the ability to have a particular night time,” Cousins stated.

Even with Cousins’ historic night time, Hodge obtained 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 occasions like these each night time,” Hodge stated. “I simply pray to get ultimately zone some sort of means. 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.”

Discuss 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 most likely 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 by way of and the alternatives I pray for. The fellows within the locker room will let you know it’s nicely 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 approach to the top zone, the second-fastest velocity of his profession, in line 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 time beyond regulation, his 2nd-fastest velocity as a ball service 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 fingers within the air and began screaming,” stated London, who had 12 catches for 154 yards. “I believe he stunned some people.”

“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 ideal 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 night time. 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 exhausting daily. To have the sort of second, it reveals, ‘Simply hold regular, hold going, irrespective of what’s going on.’ Adversity goes to strike. Typically you’re going to really feel such as you’re out of it, however you simply must hold working, hold praying.”

Hodge was one among seven Falcons to catch a move towards Tampa Bay (3-2) as Atlanta gained 550 yards, its highest whole since 2016. Cousins handed for 253 yards within the first half and 256 yards within the second half and time beyond regulation, turning into the primary participant in NFL historical past to high 250 yards earlier than and after halftime in a single sport, in line 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 sport 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 compelled 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 time beyond regulation coin toss and scored on their first possession.

“I’ve been in some loopy video games and been on the dropping finish of loads of them, so to have one like this, time beyond regulation, walk-off, at residence, on a Thursday night time, towards an ideal soccer crew within the division, it’s an ideal efficiency, and it reveals loads of character and resilience,” Cousins stated. “It was an enormous night time, one I’ll always remember.”

(Picture: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Photographs)