Nothing is smart within the NFL this season.
Significantly, the sport Sunday between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers entered the sport with a 2-5 file, due to final week’s beautiful win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Atlanta Falcons entered the sport with a 3-4 file.
However with struggles from the Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints this season, the winner of the sport can be in first place within the NFC South.
NFC South soccer. It’s improbable!
With beneath a minute remaining, the Panthers wanted a miracle, trailing by 34-28. Following an Atlanta area aim, Carolina took over possession on their very own 25-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff.
Nevertheless it appeared like P.J. Walker was the miracle employee.
After an incompletion, and a completion to large receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. gave the Panthers a primary down at their very own 38-yard line. On the following play, Walker delivered that miracle. He was flushed to his left within the pocket earlier than resetting his toes and hips to unleash an unimaginable deep ball within the route of D.J. Moore, who pulled within the throw ultimately zone to tie the sport:
This, from Subsequent Gen Stats, highlights simply how unimaginable this throw was:
There was, nonetheless, a slight drawback.
Caught up within the second, Moore removes his helmet in celebration. A flag quickly adopted for Unsportsmanlike Conduct, and the Falcons correctly selected to implement the penalty on the additional level try. That meant Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro wanted to hit the additional level from 48 yards out to win the sport.
He missed.
Atlanta tried a deep shot after the kickoff, which fell incomplete, after which Marcus Mariota merely took a knee to arrange time beyond regulation.
However we weren’t finished with the chaos.
The Falcons received the coin toss and commenced the additional body with possession of the soccer. However that’s when Panthers cornerback C.J. Henderson delivered an enormous play of his personal, with this interception adopted by a giant return:
With the ball deep in Atlanta territory due to the return, it appeared just like the Panthers would pull out the miracle win, simply taking a bit bit extra time to drag it off. Pinerio lined up for a shorter kick this time, needing to transform from simply 33 yards out for redemption.
Welp.
Maybe for this reason Pinerio missed these kicks:
Now it was Mariota’s shot at redemption. The Falcons quarterback ripped off this big, shifty run on Atlanta’s subsequent possession to get the Falcons down into area aim vary:
Mariota’s run helped arrange a game-winning alternative for Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo. Lastly, maybe mercifully, this recreation was over:
And the Atlanta Falcons can be in first place on Halloween.
As all of us anticipated.