Clutch Koo: How Falcons Kicker Flipped Script on Late-Game Struggles
Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo took two steps backwards.
He lifted his head, lined up the target - the middle of the goalpost - and took another step to his left. As anticipation built, chants of "Koo" reigned down from the crowd.
All that stood between the Falcons and first place in the NFC South was a 41-yard field goal to be determined by Koo's right leg - and, as has been the case so many times since 2019, he delivered.
After a clean snap and hold from Liam McCullough and Bradley Pinion, Koo took two steps and launched - a slight draw off the right upright that ended center-cut, like a well-hit 7 iron.
Falcons 37, Carolina Panthers 34. Final.
As teammates mobbed Koo and raised him off the turf of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, his mind was far from thinking about the trials and tribulations of his journey to reach that point, in part because his late-game heroics have become commonplace.
But the same can't be said by the Los Angeles Chargers, who will travel to Atlanta this Sunday for a matchup between two teams who'd be in the playoffs if the postseason started today.
For many reasons, Koo wouldn't be where he is today - or Sunday, in his teammates' arms - if not for the Chargers organization.
After becoming the first player in Georgia Southern history to earn All-American honors and be named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award annually award to college football's best kicker, Koo went undrafted in 2017 - but the Chargers gave him an opportunity, and he ran with it.
Koo beat out two-year starter Josh Lambo for the job as LA's kicker during the preseason. He was on top of the mountain as a social media phenom and owner of a role that just 32 people are able to claim they hold.
But Koo left that group almost as soon as it started.
After four weeks, the Chargers were winless - partially due to Koo's struggles in the clutch. In his NFL debut, Koo's game-tying field goal attempt was blocked with five seconds left after Los Angeles stormed back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit.
The following week, Koo had a kick of the same distance - 44 yards - as the game before, this time with the game on the line; the Chargers trailed by two points with just 10 seconds left and Koo had a chance to win it.
In try No. 2 in the clutch, Koo's kick wasn't blocked ... but instead sailed wide right. Two weeks, two missed kicks inside the final 10 seconds and two heartbreaking losses for the Chargers. Koo walked of the field with just one made kick in four tries.
While he made all of his attempts the next two weeks, pressure began to mount in Los Angeles, and Koo's misses shone brighter than ever. And thus, after a four-week run of living his 10-year dream, Koo suddenly found himself at rock bottom: out of the league entirely.
He didn't receive an opportunity in 2018, and his lone chance for much of 2019 came in the start-up AAF, where starred in Atlanta ... with the Legends. Koo went 14 of 14 on field goals, including a game-winning 33-yarder to give the team its first win - clutch moment, conquered.
The Seoul, South Korea native impressed enough to get looks around the NFL, including a workout for the Chicago Bears and brief practice squad stint with the New England Patriots, but nothing articulated.
And then, his chance came: a return to Atlanta, this time with the Falcons. He faced the task of being "the replacement" of the franchise's all-time leading scorer, kicker Matt Bryant, and was thrown into the fire against the archrival New Orleans Saints in a hostile environment for his first game.
The result? A 4-of-4 performance in a shocking 26-9 victory over the eventual division champions that ultimately netted Koo NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Over his seven-game stint to finish that season, Koo went 23 of 26 on field goals and 15 of 16 on extra points while once more rising to national stardom after booting three consecutive successful onside kicks against the Saints on Thanksgiving.
That offseason, Koo was set to be a free agent, but returned to Atlanta; it's the city where he reinvented himself and finally proved what he'd been itching to show since being ousted prematurely two years prior.
The deal turned out to be mutually beneficial, as Koo went 37 of 39 on field goals and received a Pro Bowl nod just over 13 months after getting a chance to return to the NFL. The lone blemish on Koo's otherwise spotless campaign was a missed 39-yarder at the end of regulation that would've tied the game against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Thus, Koo's late-game reputation remained spotty - but he put any doubts to rest in 2021. In all, Koo made 27 of 29 field goal tries, was perfect on extra points and, perhaps most importantly, hit all three of his game-winning kicks: one, against the New York Giants to give Arthur Smith his first win as a head coach; two, on the road against the Miami Dolphins, where four years prior he missed his second consecutive clutch try; and three, back in New Orleans after the Facons blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter.
All incredibly value, but for different reasons to Koo and the team. Nonetheless, despite the Falcons missing out on the playoffs at 7-10, Koo's campaign was vital if for no other reason than to prove to himself that he can handle the moment.
All of that led Koo to Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro missed a 48-yard extra point and 33-yard field goal that would've sealed a Carolina victory, Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota marched Atlanta down the field, well inside field goal range.
However, after the chaotic sequence of events leading up to Koo's kick, nothing felt guaranteed. Years earlier, the pressure of the situation - the game and division lead resting on his leg - might've gotten to him.
But not Sunday. Koo's overcome too much and done too many positive things over the last three years to miss a kick in that moment. As the ball sailed through the uprights and carried the Falcons into first place, a sense of relief bestowed upon the stadium - but Smith never had a doubt, to the extent where he had Koo kick the field goal on third down rather than fourth.
"We got all the faith in the world in Younghoe," Smith said. "That's why I called it on third down."
After a difficult start, all Koo needed was a second chance - and the faith that two Falcons regimes have shown in him has been exactly what he hoped for.
From the "scapegoat" of Los Angeles' troubles to a vital part of Atlanta's success, Koo has emerged as one of the game's top kickers, largely due to the personality that shines as brightly off the field as it does on it.
"I can't explain how valuable he is, not only to this team but really to football," said Mariota. "I think he's got such a cool demeanor; he goes about his business the right way. He's always working hard so it's no surprise to me when things get down to the wire, that he makes these kicks."
As for Koo, the lessons learned from his time with the Chargers continue to make an impact today. Despite the rollercoaster that was the Panthers game, the 28-year-old remained calm, cool and collected and rose to the occasion when the Falcons needed him most.
"I try to stay detached from the emotional part of the game," Koo said. "No matter what happens, I got to get ready to go. I just try to get locked in and try to stick to my process and thought process."
After missing the first two late-game kicks of his professional career, Koo found himself out of a job and in need of soul-searching. His response? Through three and a half seasons in Atlanta, Koo's five of six on field goals to either tie or take the lead in the final minute and is quickly becoming as reliable as it gets.
Now, Koo gets his second chance to take on the team that gave him the opportunity of a lifetime - and gave up on him almost as quickly.
There may be moments of reminiscing or even emotions, but one thing's for certain: Koo won't let it get to him when he trots off the sideline for the first time on Sunday.
Better yet, if given a chance to make a clutch kick late, odds are that Koo will hit it - in part because of what he learned from his time in Los Angeles.
And it truly wouldn't get any more Hollywood than that.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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