Even though Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins stole the show on Thursday Night with a career-best 509 passing yards, unheralded receiver KhaDarel Hodge turned a short curl route into a game-winning 45-yard touchdown in overtime.
The 29-year-old journeyman is on his fourth NFL team in seven seasons and has never had more than 15 receptions or 250 yards in any campaign.
Fellow wideout Drake London was the other star of the Atlanta offense on Thursday: the former first-round pick caught 12 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown to continue his red-hot start. However, he suffered a head injury in the second quarter and opened the door for Hodge to enter the game.
- NFL fans all say same thing after Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins deliver TNF classic
- Travis Kelce says Kansas City Chiefs three-peat Super Bowl blow is ‘dagger to me’
Hodge caught a four-yard pass from Cousins before shrugging off a tackle from Tampa Bay cornerback Zyon McCollum. He darted to the middle of the field and hit a top speed of 19.7 miles per hour, the second-fastest in-game of his career.
After he waltzed through the defense and into the endzone, Hodge was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates as he continued pumping up the fans.
By the time he was interviewed by Amazon, Hodge was fighting back tears. He was asked, “We can all see the emotion on your face, what are you feeling?”
“I don’t even know man. God is real, God is good. I prayed for this,” he said. “I don’t even know what to say right now. It’s so surreal, God is real that’s all I can say.”
“I knew I had to step in. [Drake London] went down, hell of a player. I know I’ve got to step in for my brother, for my team,” Hodge continued. “I’ve got to do what I need to do to take advantage of my [opportunities]. This game is a game of opportunity, make sure I took advantage of it. Kirk trusted me, team trusted me. God was on my side I just did what I needed to do.”
Hodge started his college career as the starting quarterback for Alcorn State. He switched to receiver at Hinds Community College before flourishing at Prairie View A&M, the third-biggest HBCU in the United States.
Praire View A&M’s most famous alumni is one of the greatest safeties in NFL history: Ken Houston. The Pro Football Hall of Famer intercepted 49 passes and is a member of the 1970s All-Decade team.
The undrafted free agent played a key part for the Los Angeles Rams special teams in their 2018 playoff run before bouncing around with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions in bit-part roles. Hodge has been Atalanta’s fourth or fifth-choice receiver on the depth chart since 2022.
With the win, the 3-2 Falcons now sit top of the NFC South with yet another division victory. London and company are feeling positive: “We went out there and had to find a way to execute and that’s what we did. We’re feeling really good right now,” he said.
Leave a Reply