The Atlanta Falcons escaped the wildest game of the week with a chaotic 37-34 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Atlanta won when Younghoe Koo kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:55 minutes remaining in overtime. But a lot of madness unfolded before the Falcons could celebrate their triumph.
A 47-yard touchdown from birthday boy Marcus Mariota to Damiere Byrd gave the Falcons a 31-28 lead late in the fourth quarter, and they appeared to ice the win when Koo hit a field goal with just 36 seconds remaining.
However, PJ Walker fired an incredible 62-yard touchdown bullet to DJ Moore to tie the game. The Panthers were an extra point away from pulling off a road heist, but Eddy Pineiro missed after Moore got called for unsportsmanlike conduct when taking off his helmet to celebrate.
Another Pineiro field-goal miss in overtime allowed Atlanta to salvage a victory. Perhaps even more improbable than the back-and-forth win: The Falcons moved into first place by improving to 4-4.
The game featured eight lead changes and a win probability chart that’d make for one epic roller coaster.
Viewers are still wrapping their heads around the frenetic game. Dick Vitale wrote “ouch” in all caps to describe Carolina falling short.
The Falcoholic said Atlanta “tried to blow it several times,” but Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports might have offered the best summary for this messy, but entertaining NFC South showcase.
“Panthers/Falcons has been absolutely everything you could want in a battle for first place between two terrible teams.”
The Falcons entered the season as a top candidate to land the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Now they’re exiting Week 8 with a division lead.
Atlanta will host the Los Angeles Chargers next weekend before going to Carolina for a rematch in Week 10’s Thursday Night Football contest.