Making sense of the closing seconds and overtime between the Falcons and the Panthers
Nothing makes sense in the NFL this season.
Particularly, the game Sunday between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers entered the game with a 2-5 record, thanks to last week’s stunning win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Atlanta Falcons entered the game with a 3-4 record.
But with struggles from the Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints this season, the winner of the game would be in first place in the NFC South.
NFC South football. It’s fantastic!
With under a minute remaining, the Panthers needed a miracle, trailing by 34-28. Following an Atlanta field goal, Carolina took over possession on their own 25-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff.
But it looked like P.J. Walker was the miracle worker.
After an incompletion, and a completion to wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. gave the Panthers a first down at their own 38-yard line. On the next play, Walker delivered that miracle. He was flushed to his left in the pocket before resetting his feet and hips to unleash an incredible deep ball in the direction of D.J. Moore, who pulled in the throw in the end zone to tie the game:
This, from Next Gen Stats, highlights just how incredible this throw was:
There was, however, a slight problem.
Caught up in the moment, Moore removes his helmet in celebration. A flag soon followed for Unsportsmanlike Conduct, and the Falcons wisely chose to enforce the penalty on the extra point attempt. That meant Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro needed to hit the extra point from 48 yards out to win the game.
He missed.
Atlanta tried a deep shot after the kickoff, which fell incomplete, and then Marcus Mariota simply took a knee to set up overtime.
But we were not done with the chaos.
The Falcons won the coin toss and began the extra frame with possession of the football. But that’s when Panthers cornerback C.J. Henderson delivered a huge play of his own, with this interception followed by a big return:
With the ball deep in Atlanta territory thanks to the return, it looked like the Panthers would pull out the miracle win, just taking a little bit more time to pull it off. Pinerio lined up for a shorter kick this time, needing to convert from just 33 yards out for redemption.
Welp.
Perhaps this is why Pinerio missed these kicks:
Now it was Mariota’s shot at redemption. The Falcons quarterback ripped off this huge, shifty run on Atlanta’s next possession to get the Falcons down into field goal range:
Mariota’s run helped set up a game-winning opportunity for Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo. Finally, perhaps mercifully, this game was over:
And the Atlanta Falcons will be in first place on Halloween.
As we all expected.
