Gutsy call gives Falcons late rally to beat Packers

 

[September 18, 2023]  A gutsy fourth-down call by head coach Arthur Smith led to a 25-yard game-winning field goal by Younghoe Koo as the Atlanta Falcons rallied to beat the visiting Green Bay Packers 25-24 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Facing a fourth-and-inches on its final drive at the Green Bay 23-yard line, Smith gambled and went for it and Bijan Robinson rushed for seven yards, which set up Koo for the game-winner.

Koo was 4 of 4 on field goal attempts, with a long of 39 yards.

Robinson led the Falcons (2-0) with a team-high 124 rushing yards on 19 carries. He also added four receptions for 48 yards. Tyler Allgeier added 16 carries for 48 yards.

Desmond Ridder completed 19 of 32 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. He also added 39 yards and a score on the ground.

Drake London led the Falcons in receptions (six) and yards (67) and had a 3-yard touchdown reception. Wideout Mack Hollins had three catches for 60 yards. Tight end Jonnu Smith added four receptions for 47 yards.

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love completed 14 of 25 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. AJ Dillon started in place of Aaron Jones (hamstring) and finished with 15 carries for 55 yards.

Jayden Reed hauled in four receptions for 37 yards and two touchdowns for the Packers (1-1). Dontayvion Wicks added two receptions for 40 yards and a score. Romeo Doubs tallied two receptions for 30 yards.

Atlanta grabbed a 3-0 lead after Koo capped a 15-play, 67-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal with 3:53 left to play in the first quarter. A 17-yard reception on third-and-7 by Smith sparked the scoring drive.

Green Bay responded on its ensuing possession when Love connected with Reed on a 9-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to put the Packers up 7-3.

The Packers extended their lead to 10-3 with 3:10 to go in the first half after kicker Anders Carlson capped a 10-play, 44-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal.

But the Falcons responded on their ensuing possession when London capped an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a nifty 3-yard reception from Ridder with 12 seconds to play in the second quarter. The extra point by Koo was no good, which gave the Packers a 10-9 lead at the half.

Green Bay increased its lead to 17-9 on its opening drive in the third quarter when Love connected with Wicks on a 32-yard touchdown pass. The play was set up by a controversial defensive holding call on Falcons' defensive tackle Ta'Quon Graham, which resulted in a first down after Atlanta's defense made a stop for no gain on second-and-long.

Koo trimmed the Packers' lead to 17-12 after nailing a 33-yard field goal following a 13-play, 60-yard drive that chewed up 7:24 off the clock. Ridder appeared to connect with Hollins for a touchdown in the back of the end zone, but the scoring reception was overturned after replay.

Love hooked up with Reed again on a 10-yard scoring reception with 1:01 left in the third quarter to put Green Bay up 24-12 after Carlson nailed the extra point.

But Atlanta answered with an eight-play, 65-yard scoring drive, which was capped by a Ridder 6-yard scoring run. A flea-flicker pass to Hollins for 45 yards to the Packers 12-yard line got the Falcons in scoring position.

A Koo 39-yard field goal capped an 8-play, 44-yard drive to cut Green Bay's lead to 24-22 with 8:10 left to play in the game.

--Field Level Media

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