NE Atlanta News

Kicker Younghoe Koo secured a victory for the Atlanta Falcons with a 58-yard game-winning field goal, defeating the New Orleans Saints 26-24 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This marked a new career long for Koo and provided the Falcons with an important win against their division rival.

The game was detailed by quarter. The Falcons lost the coin toss and received the opening kickoff from New Orleans.

In the first quarter, Falcons punter Bradly Pinion came onto the field after the offense's first drive stalled. Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed dropped the punt after calling for a fair catch inside the 5-yard line, leading to a special teams touchdown by Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge. The Saints responded with a touchdown run by tight end Taysom Hill, tying the score at 7-7 by the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Hill scoring another touchdown, putting the Saints ahead. The Falcons cut into this lead with a 53-yard field goal from Koo. Later, Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen intercepted Saints quarterback Derek Carr's pass and returned it for a touchdown, giving Atlanta a 17-14 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, penalties hindered the Saints' progress early on. The Falcons extended their lead with another field goal from Koo but saw it reduced when Saints kicker Blake Grupe made his own field goal. The third quarter ended with Atlanta leading 20-17.

During the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged scores again. A holding penalty negated what would have been a touchdown pass from Cousins to Robinson for Atlanta. Instead, they settled for another field goal from Koo. The Saints then took advantage of their possession to score through Alvin Kamara’s 1-yard run, taking a brief lead at 24-23.

With one minute left and no timeouts remaining, an interference penalty allowed Koo to attempt and make his decisive 58-yard field goal, sealing Atlanta's victory.