Falcons fans everywhere groaned when Younghoe Koo’s field goal to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter was blocked. It came on the heels of a pivotal third-down drop by Darnell Mooney that likely would have resulted in a touchdown.
They groaned again when Kirk Cousins threw a fourth-down pick on the following drive after forcing a fumble to get the ball back.
They groaned even louder when, after getting the ball back for one last final-minute drive, they had a delay of game penalty that pushed a 47-yard field goal into a 52-yarder.
Among that din of groans, there was one that was undoubtedly louder. That’s because a bettor in Tennessee placed a $110K wager at Caesars on Atlanta, laying 1.5 points against Tampa Bay.
However, Koo came through, booting the ball down Broadway to send the game to overtime. Cousins then, on the fourth play of OT, found reserve wideout KhaDerel Hodge for a 45-yard touchdown. Hodge was only in the game because Drake London was hurt in the previous play, but that didn’t faze Cousins, who looked his way for the 36-30 win. It was a banner night for Cousins, who threw for a franchise-record 509 yards.
Tampa Bay had a 91.5%-win probability after their late fourth-down interception. Yet somehow, that bettor in Tennessee sweated his way to a $100K payday. It was as unlikely a win as it was Hodge scoring the TD as he was +1900 to find the end zone. Hodge caught two passes on the night, which were his first catches of the year.
All three of the Falcons’ wins this year have been extremely unlikely. Actually, calling them unlikely is an understatement. Just look at their win probability for their three wins this year against the Eagles, Saints and Buccaneers, which all came down to last-minute drives.
