Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards and four touchdown passes to lead the Atlanta Falcons to a heroic comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what turned out to be the most epic game of the season so far, but it was even more so because of who delivered the winning score at the end.
The Falcons were down on the scoreboard by three points, but a field goal kick by Younghoe Koo at the end of regulation sent it to overtime, where Cousins found KhaDarel Hodge, who broke a tackle and scored a 45-yard touchdown to complete the somersault.
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It’s safe to say that nobody had Hodge in their radar, not even the Atlanta fans. He came into the game to replace an injured player, and he only had two catches in the game. The second one was the most important.
Where does he come from?
The game at Mercedes Benz Stadium ended wild but KhaDarel’s story is even more so. He wasn’t even playing wide receiver until he attended Hinds Community College, where he made the change. Then moved on to Prairie View A&M.
He went undrafted and was signed by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, he also played for the Detroit Lions before signing with Atlanta in 2022. This was his second career touchdown catch as a professional and he was emotional after the game.
“I don’t even know what to say right now, God is real, that’s all I can say. I prayed for this,” he said on a postgame interview. He reached a top speed of 19.70 MPH on his game-winning touchdown reception in overtime, his 2nd-fastest speed as a ball carrier in his career.
