ATLANTA (AP) — As soon as the flag flew for pass interference, Younghoe Koo knew he would have a chance to win it for the Atlanta Falcons.
Koo kicked a 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining as the Falcons rallied for a 26-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints without scoring an offensive touchdown Sunday.
Koo kicked four field goals in all, also connecting from 53, 44 and 42 yards to give the Falcons (2-2) a desperately needed home victory. It was his eighth game-winning kick since the beginning of the 2021 season.
“We’ve been in that situation a lot and you know that’s how it is in this league,” the 30-year-old South Korean said. “A lot of the games, the majority of the games in this league, comes out to a one-possession game. Every point matters and our unit takes a lot of pride in that.”
The Falcons lost their first two games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and seemed on the verge of falling to 0-3 in Atlanta when Alvin Kamara scored on a 1-yard run with a minute remaining to push the Saints (2-2) to a 24-23 lead.
A 30-yard pass interference penalty on Paulson Adebo gave the Falcons hope at the New Orleans 40. Kirk Cousins threw three straight incompletions, but it didn’t matter.
Koo knocked down the longest field goal in the stadium’s seven-year history with plenty to spare, sending the Saints to their second straight close loss after two dominating victories to open the season.
Koo threw both arms in the air before was mobbed by his teammates.
“I’ve made that in practice,” he said. “Once we got to the 40, I knew I had a chance.”
Taysom Hill scored on a pair of touchdown runs for the Saints before going out, appearing to reaggravate a chest injury that kept him from playing in a 15-12 loss to Philadelphia the previous week.
On the Saints’ final possession, Derek Carr connected with Chris Olave on a couple of big third-down passes before Kamara finally punched it in on the Saints’ third try from the 1, dragging Kaden Elliss into the end zone.
The Falcons won without the Cousins-led offense producing a TD. It was the special teams and defense that reached the end zone.
Early on, Rashid Shaheed inexplicably called a fair catch on a punt at the Saints 2 and then had the ball bounce off his shoulder pads into the end zone, where KhaDarel Hodge fell on it for Atlanta.
Linebacker Troy Anderson also scored for the Falcons on a pick-six after a pass from Carr was deflected by Matthew Judon. Anderson hauled in the fluttering ball for an interception and showed off his impressive speed, streaking 47 yards down the sideline to give Atlanta a 17-14 halftime lead.
“Those are the kind (of losses) that rip your heart out,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “I know we’ve got a good football team in that locker room. Now, we have to play better. We can’t spot a team 14 points — a good team — and expect to win those type of games.”
New Orleans scored in more conventional fashion, though a Falcons turnover helped. Cousins was picked off by Adebo at the New Orleans 47, sparking an 11-play, 53-yard touchdown drive.
Hill ripped off a 7-yard run on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive going, and finished it off by crashing up the middle for a 5-yard score after taking a handoff from Carr.
Hill’s first TD came off a direct snap at the 2.
Mooney’s move
Receiver Darnell Mooney has been a key weapon for the Atlanta offense over the first four games, and he made one of the biggest plays Sunday without catching the ball.
It was Mooney who drew the pass interference penalty on Adebo, making a split-second decision to flash his hands like he was going to make the catch, which lured the cornerback into making contact before the ball arrived.
“The way the ball was sitting in the air, I knew I was going to have to draw something,” Mooney said. “I was able to make Adebo push me a little earlier than he wanted to.”
Mooney finished with three catches for 56 yards. Yet he’ll remember this game for the pass he didn’t make.
“Your decision-making sort of changes from, ‘I’m going to make this catch’ to ‘I’m going to put myself in a position for the P.I.,’” he said with a smile.
Injury report
Saints: In addition to losing Hill, LB Willie Gay Jr. went out in the first quarter with a hand injury, further depleting depth at that position. New Orleans already was missing LB Demario Davis (hamstring), who was inactive along with C Erik McCoy (groin), OG Cesar Ruiz (ankle). Kamara (hip pointer, ribs) was able to go for the Saints after being limited during the week.
Falcons: Anderson went out in the closing minutes with a knee injury and was replaced by rookie JD Bertrand. The offensive line was missing C Drew Dalman (ankle) and RT Kaleb McGary (knee).
Up next
Saints: Travel to Kansas City next Monday night for a prime-time clash with the reigning two-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Falcons: Complete a three-game homestand Thursday night when they host another NFC South rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Paul Newberry, The Associated Press