ATLANTA — Kicker Younghoe Koo ensured the Atlanta Falcons did not fall victim to a fourth-quarter comeback in Week 4, nailing a 58-yard game-winning field goal to defeat the New Orleans Saints, 26-24, on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was a new career long for Koo, and it gave the Falcons a crucial win against their division rival.
Every game recap this 2024 season will be broken down by quarter for right-at-the-buzzer consumption. To get things going, Atlanta lost the coin toss (2-2 in that regard) and received the opening kickoff from New Orleans.
FIRST QUARTER
When Falcons punter Bradly Pinion came onto the field after the offense's first drive stalled at the Saints' 46-yard line, it appeared the eight-play, 24-yard drive would result in zero points. Instead, Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed dropped the punt after calling for a fair catch inside the 5-yard line. It rolled into the end zone, where Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge jumped on it for a special teams touchdown.
NOTE: That was the Falcons' first muffed punt returned for a touchdown since at least 2000, per TruMedia.
Atlanta had been moving the ball during its opening offensive possession, but a facemask penalty on left guard Matthew Bergeron put the Falcons 15 yards back on a second down that they weren't able to make back.
The Saints' offense answered with a touchdown of its own when tight end Taysom Hill scored on a 2-yard run. It capped off a nine-play, 70-yard drive that saw the Saints run the ball effectively against the Falcons. That was clear in two 13-yard rushes, one from Shaheed and another from running back Alvin Kamara.
The Falcons, meanwhile, struggled early to get the ground game rolling in comparison. After an offensive drive apiece, the difference between the two team's success rate was obvious. Only Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had run the ball, with two carries for 2 yards, whereas the Saints had three players combine for six carries for 41 yards. This wasn't a sustainable way for Atlanta's offense to operate.
Neither was turning the ball over, which it did on the next series. This is a continued issue for the Falcons in 2024.
On the fifth play of the Falcons' second drive, Cousins attempted a second-and-3 pass to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III. McCloud fell on his route, and Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo was there to pick off the pass.
New Orleans took over at its own 47-yard line and was at Atlanta's 15-yard line when the quarter concluded. The Saints converted a fourth-and-1 on a 7-yard run by Hill in the process of getting there. New Orleans closed out the first period with 59 rushing yards on 11 carries compared to the Falcons' 9 yards on three. The score was tied, but the Saints were moving the ball at a much better clip on offense.
SCORING PLAYS
Falcons: KhaDarel Hodge muffed punt recovery … 7-0, ATL
Saints: Taysom Hill 2-yard run; PAT good … 7-7, ALL
END Q1: Falcons 7, Saints 7
SECOND QUARTER
Cousins' interception ended up putting the Falcons behind, as the Saints scored another touchdown via Hill three plays into the second quarter. Hill cruised into the end zone from 7 yards out this time, giving the Saints the lead for the first time.
The Falcons were unable to tie the game on their next drive, but they did cut the lead from seven to four thanks to a 53-yard field goal from kicker Younghoe Koo. Atlanta was going to attempt to convert a fourth-and-1 but center Ryan Neuzil was called for a false start, forcing the line back 5 yards. That's when the decision to bring Koo out was made.
Reminder: Neuzil is filling in for starting center Drew Dalman, who *was placed on injured reserve this past week* due to an ankle injury he sustained in the Falcons' Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Falcons' defense regained the lead soon after, though. Inside linebacker Troy Andersen intercepted Saints quarterback Derek Carr's pass intended for tight end Juwan Johnson. Falcons outside linebacker Matthew Judon pressured Carr before tipping the pass, and Andersen captured the wayward ball and took it 47 yards to the end zone. Saints wide receiver Chris Olave tried to stop Andersen down the sideline but fell short.
NOTE: That marked not only Andersen's first pick-six of his career but his first interception in general. Andersen was a second-round pick for the Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Neither team added points to the board in the following drives, so the score remained tipped in the Falcons' favor by a field goal when the first half ended.
SCORING PLAYS
Saints: Taysom Hill 5-yard run; PAT good … 14-7, NOR
Falcons: Younghoe Koo 53-yard field goal … 14-10, NOR
Falcons: Troy Andersen 47-yard interception return … 17-14, ATL
HALFTIME: Falcons 17, Saints 14
THIRD QUARTER
The Saints' first two plays out of the locker room featured penalties that had the offense facing a first-and-25 at their own 26-yard line. It was too big of a distance for the Saints to overcome, and they ultimately punted after failing to convert a third-and-14.
The Falcons then strung together a 10-play drive for 64 yards that finished with a 44-yard field goal from Koo. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney had a massive 36-yard catch, diving along the sideline and overcoming a pass interference from Adebo. Running back Tyler Allgeier also refused to go down on a clutch 12-yard run, rolling through defenders like the bowling ball he's often compared to. Issue was the final two plays, where Cousins threw an incomplete pass and a pass for a loss of 4 yards to Mooney. It was fourth-and-8 when Koo came out.
The field goal put the Falcons six points ahead.
At least, it did for a brief amount of time. The Saints responded with a field goal of their own, a 43-yarder from kicker Blake Grupe, to bring it back to a three-point difference. Their drive was also 10 plays long but covered 50 yards. Falcons cornerback Dee Alford's sack of Carr for a loss of 4 yards was a big contributor to the final set of downs.
The Falcons snuck in a 15-yard pass to McCloud before the third period came to an end.
SCORING PLAYS
Falcons: Younghoe Koo 44-yard field goal … 20-14, ATL
Saints: Blake Grupe 43-yard field goal … 20-17, NOR
END Q3: Falcons 20, Saints 17
FOURTH QUARTER
Allgeier kept on rolling as the final 15 minutes began. He ran the ball three plays in a row, going for 11, 15 and 2 yards in order. Cousins then switched it up and hit wide receiver Drake London with a 12-yard completion. Cousins then connected on a 19-yard touchdown pass with Robinson, but it was ultimately negated because of a offensive holding penalty on left tackle Jake Matthews. It was the fifth offensive penalty to that point for Atlanta and a costly one.
So, instead of a touchdown, the Falcons faced a first-and-20 at the Saints' 29-yard line after the penalty. Atlanta couldn't find the end zone again. Cousins was sacked for a loss of 8 yards and nearly lost a fumble on the play. Koo made a 42-yard field goal to end the drive.
The Saints used 12 plays to move 63 yards down the field to the Falcons' 5-yard line on what felt like a last-gasp drive for the visitors. That was as far as New Orleans got, though. Andersen stuffed Kamara at the line of scrimmage on the final first down of the drive. Carr threw an incomplete pass to Shaheed with Falcons inside linebacker Kaden Elliss in coverage on second down. Judon then tackled Kamara for a loss of 2 yards on third down. The Saints went for it on fourth, but Alford broke up Carr's pass intended for Shaheed on the left sideline of the end zone.
After that, the Falcons maintained a six-point lead with three minutes and 57 seconds remaining on the game clock. It was a four-minute situation that offenses prepare for, and the chance for Atlanta to secure its victory. The Falcons went three-and-out, not picking up any yards in the process, and .
That meant the Saints got the ball back with three minutes and 37 seconds remaining, and they managed to get that at the Falcons' 42-yard line after Shaheed's 17-yard punt return. New Orleans did not waste its second opportunity to take a late lead and silence the home crowd. The Saints moved quickly through the air, getting back to the goal line and setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Kamara.
Down by one point with one minute left and no timeouts, the Falcons' offense flipped the field thanks to a pass interference penalty by the Saints. It was enough to give Koo the chance to win the game.
Koo drilled a 58-yard field goal to do just that.
SCORING PLAYS
Falcons: Younghoe Koo 42-yard field goal … 23-17, ATL
Saints: Alvin Kamara 1-yard run; PAT good ... 24-23, NOR
Falcons: Younghoe Koo 58-yard field goal ... 26-24, ATL
FINAL: Falcons 26, Saints 24
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during Week 4, presented by Grady.