Can the Falcons shock the NFC? |Breakfast bowl
The 2024/25 NFL season is upon us, and Craig Carton, Danny Perkins, and Mark Schlares are making bold predictions about who will make the playoffs in the NFC. This includes the Atlanta Falcons being the No. 1 seed.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins broke the team's single-game franchise record with 509 passing yards during a 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
Cousins broke the record on a night when the Falcons honored former franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, who previously held the record with 448.
Backup wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge replaced the injured player on the field in overtime and stunned the Buccaneers with a 45-yard touchdown.
“God is real. God is good. That's what I'm praying for,” Hodge said on Amazon Prime after the game. “God was on my side. I just did what I had to do.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
The Falcons appeared to have squandered several chances to win late in the game.
On Atlanta's drive in the fourth quarter, they led Tampa by just three points, 30-27. But Kirk Cousins' pass was perfectly delivered to wide receiver Darnell Moody on third down and dropped. If Moody had made the catch, the Falcons would have been in the Buccaneers' red zone or beyond.
After the drop, Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo had a 54-yard field goal try blocked.
The Falcons got the ball back with just a three-point lead after Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving fumbled deep in Atlanta's territory on the ensuing drive. However, the drive failed as Cousins made an interception on a fourth down conversion.
College football team stranded on bus on flooded interstate due to Hurricane Helen
KhaDarel Hodge of the Atlanta Falcons recovers a fumble for a touchdown in the end zone during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints on September 29, 2024 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Player (12 years old). (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Falcons got the ball back and had another chance to tie or win, but with just over a minute left and still leading by three points, on the ensuing drive Tampa, who had lost in 14 years, punted. did.
Cousins led the Falcons into field goal range and clocked the ball with one second left. Due to a delay of game penalty, Koo's field goal try was extended to 52 yards, but he made it and the game went into overtime.
The Falcons then had the ball to start overtime, and Cousins put an attack on Tampa Bay with an 18-yard pass to Drake Rondon. During this play, Rondon was injured, and Hodge came off the bench to replace Rondon in the game. The touchdown pass went to him on the very next play.
The Falcons won the game between two teams representing a state that was severely damaged by Hurricane Helen.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (12) celebrates a touchdown off a New Orleans Saints fumble during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Georgia and Florida are among the states hardest hit by Helen's destruction. As of Thursday, the storm had killed 33 people and caused $417 million in damage in Georgia.
Several towns in Florida, including the town of Clearwater Beach, have been nearly destroyed.
Prior to the game, each team's two quarterbacks, Cousins and Baker Mayfield, announced they would each donate $50,000 to Team Rubicon to help those affected by Hurricane Helen.
Follow sports coverage on Fox News Digital's X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
