Falcons Players React to 'Craziest Ever' Win vs. Panthers
The Atlanta Falcons somehow, someway, came away with a 37-34 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, despite allowing nearly 480 total yards and surviving a Hail Mary, extra point and 33-yard field goal from a kicker who entered the game with just one miss on his resume.
Up until the Falcons forced a turnover on downs and kicked a field goal late in the fourth quarter, the Falcons and Panthers alternated the previous 10 scores.
Atlanta's trend-breaking kick put the team up six points with 36 seconds to go, and Carolina was out of timeouts. The Falcons had a 99.2 percent chance to win, per ESPN's FPI.
Three plays and 24 seconds later, the Panthers were swarming helmetless star receiver DJ Moore in the endzone after completing a 62-yard Hail Mary. All Carolina needed was an extra point to rip the hearts out of Falcons fans - but Moore's heat of the moment decision to pull his helmet off pushed the kick back 15 yards, making it a 48-yarder.
Still, Eddy Piñeiro was 12 of 12 on extra points and had already connected on two that day. But it wasn't meant to be for the 27-year-old, as the kick sailed wide left.
Bullet dodged, the Falcons won the coin toss to start overtime, needing a touchdown drive to seal the game. But, of course, it couldn't be that easy.
On the second play of the series, quarterback Marcus Mariota was pressured and heaved one up downfield for receiver Damiere Byrd. The pass was caught -- by Panthers cornerback CJ Henderson, who ran the interception back inside the Atlanta 20.
After three run plays set up a short kick for Piñeiro, who hadn't missed a kick inside 40 yards all season, the Panthers had a 95-percent chance to come away with the victory ... and then lightning struck twice.
Piñeiro came across the ball, hips open, and pulled it left of the goalpost. Standing with hands on head in disbelief, Piñeiro walked off the field. He wouldn't get another chance.
On 3rd and 1 near midfield, Mariota ripped off his biggest run of the day, a 30-yarder to put the Falcons well within field goal range for Younghoe Koo.
Atlanta's Pro Bowl kicker trotted out to the right hash - seven yards further forward from where Piñeiro missed his extra point try - and proceeded to connect from 41 yards out, catapulting the Falcons to victory and first place in the NFC South.
No matter what team or position, the consensus from those walking off the field was that what took place was one of wildest experiences they'd ever had on a football field.
For the Falcons, the positive feeling of disbelief (and relief) permeated throughout the locker room, starting with cornerback Isaiah Oliver.
"Craziest game I've ever been a part of in my life," Oliver said. "It was a rollercoaster. We felt like we messed up, up until the very last second of the game. Guys were down, we felt like we were out of it, but that just goes to show that in the NFL, you never know."
Oliver's in his fifth professional season; he's been in a lot of games. So has starting left tackle Jake Matthews, now in year nine with 136 games under his belt. And still, Sunday's game was a first.
"Something I've never been a part of before," Matthews claimed. "Crazy game, the way it went back and forth. All I can say is I'm happy we came out on top, because I've never experienced anything like that in my life."
On the opposite end of the spectrum is second-year running back Caleb Huntley, who's played just six games in the NFL. After leading the Falcons on the ground with 16 carries for 91 yards, Huntley was physically exhausted postgame and needed a little extra pick-me-up.
"It was crazy, it was wild," Huntley began. "It was a lot of emotions. After this one, I might have to get me a bottle of Tequilla, (and) I don't even drink."
Slightly more seasoned than Huntley is inside linebacker Mykal Walker, who was a three-sport athlete in high school, played five years in college and is now in his third NFL season. On Sunday, Walker led the team with 11 tackles - and reiterated Oliver's rollercoaster reference afterwards.
"I can't say I have (been a part of a game like that)," Walker stated. "That was a crazy experience. Going into year three, I've never seen anything like that. It was a rollercoaster, the ups, the highs, the lows. It's something we preach about - staying ready and never giving up. We're going to fight to the very end no matter what it looks like."
Pairing Walker at the second level of Atlanta's defense is fifth-year pro Rashaan Evans, who's played in 67 games after spending four seasons at Alabama. Evans finished just behind Walker with nine tackles, while also recording a key sack to put Carolina behind the chains on its penultimate drive in regulation.
From a player whose college closed on a 41-yard game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to win the National Championship, Evans ranked Sunday's game high on his personal list of crazy games.
"Probably No. 1 right now," Evans said. "Just from the highs and lows and the things that happened in this game ... the Hail Mary that the quarterback threw. It was definitely one of the craziest games I've been a part of."
Panthers quarterback PJ Walker, responsible for throwing the Hail Mary that Evans mentioned, felt similarly, even in a losing effort.
"This is it right here," said Walker, of his most chaotic games. "This is one that I will probably remember for a long time."
The feeling resonated with more than just the players. The fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and those watching on TV certainly felt it, as did Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who said that he's going to have a subtle reminder about the stresses of this game for years to come.
"That was one of the crazier games I've ever been a part of," Smith said. "Happy to get the win any way we can, but I think I got a little grayer today."
In the end, regardless of the Hail Mary, missed extra point, interception and missed field goal, the Falcons walked away with a crucial home victory and now control their own destiny moving forward.
While the win is the most important takeaway, the Falcons also learned a substantial amount about their identity and quality of people inside the locker room.
"It was definitely emotionally exhausting and being able to handle that physically and mentally ... just shows what type of guys we've got in this locker room," proclaimed Evans. "Most teams will crumble, most teams will give up, but we didn't give up and we were able to come out with a win."
It certainly didn't come easy, but Atlanta desperately needed a victory for its division title hopes and achieved that goal in dramatic fashion.
For everyone, it's on to Sunday's home contest against the Los Angeles Chargers ... but still, nobody from either side, be it players, coaches, or fans, will be forgetting about the chaos that took place inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium for some time to come.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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