ATLANTA — — As soon as the flag flew for pass interference, Younghoe Koo knew he would have a chance to win the flag for the Atlanta Falcons.

Koo made a career-best 58-yard field goal with two seconds left as the Falcons rallied for a 26-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints without scoring an offensive touchdown Sunday.

Koo made four total field goals and also connected from 53, 44 and 42 yards to give the Falcons (2-2) a much-needed home win. It was his eighth game-winning kick in the final ten seconds since the start of the 2021 season – the most in the league in that span.

“We’ve been in that situation many times and you know that’s how it goes in this competition,” said the 30-year-old South Korean. “A lot of games, the majority of games in this league, come down to a one-possession game. Every point counts and our unit takes a lot of pride in that.”

The Falcons lost their first two games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and appeared on the verge of falling to 0-3 in Atlanta when Alvin Kamara scored on a 1-yard run with a minute remaining to give the Saints (2-2) to push to a point. 24-23 lead.

A 30-yard pass interference penalty on Paulson Adebo gave the Falcons hope at the New Orleans 40. Kirk Cousins ​​threw three straight incompletions, but it didn’t matter.

Koo scored the longest field goal in the stadium’s seven-year history with plenty left, giving the Saints a second straight loss after two dominant victories to open the season.

Koo threw both arms in the air before being mobbed by his teammates.

“I made that happen in practice,” he said. “When we hit 40, I knew I had a chance.”

Taysom Hill scored on a pair of touchdown runs for the Saints before going out, which appeared to aggravate a pectoral injury that kept him from playing in a 15-12 loss to Philadelphia the week before.

On the Saints’ final possession, Derek Carr connected with Chris Olave on a pair of big third-down passes before Kamara finally banked in the Saints’ third attempt from the 1 and dragged Kaden Elliss into the end zone.

The Falcons won without the Cousins-led offense producing a TD. It was the special teams and defense that got to the end zone.

Early on, Rashid Shaheed inexplicably called a fair catch on a punt at the Saints 2 and then let the ball bounce off his shoulder pads into the end zone, where KhaDarel Hodge fell on it for Atlanta.

Linebacker Troy Andersen also scored for the Falcons on a pick-six after a Carr pass was deflected by Matthew Judon. Andersen hauled in the fluttering ball for an interception and showed off his impressive speed, rocketing 47 yards down the sideline to give Atlanta a 17-14 halftime lead.

“Those are the kind of losses that rip your heart out,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “I know we have a good football team in the locker room. Now we have to play better. We can’t do that.” spot a team with 14 points – a good team – and expect to win those kinds of games.

New Orleans scored in a more conventional manner, although a Falcons turnover helped. Cousins ​​was picked off by Adebo at the New Orleans 47, leading to an 11-play, 53-yard touchdown drive.

Hill ripped off a 7-yard run on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive going, then capped it off by crashing down the middle for a 5-yard score on a handoff from Carr.

Hill’s first TD came right at the 2.

Mooney’s move

Receiver Darnell Mooney has been a key weapon for the Atlanta offense through the first four games, and he made one of the biggest plays without catching the ball on Sunday.

It was Mooney who called the pass interference penalty on Adebo, deciding in a split second to blink his hands as if to make the catch, enticing the cornerback to make contact before the ball arrived.

“The way the ball was in the air, I knew I had to draw something,” Mooney said. “I was able to get Adebo to push me a little earlier than he wanted.”

Mooney finished with three catches for 56 yards. Still, he will remember this game for the pass he didn’t make.

“Your decision-making changes from ‘I’m going to make this catch’ to ‘I’m going to put myself in a position for the PI,’” he said with a smile.

Injury report

Saints: In addition to the loss of Hill, LB Willie Gay Jr. out in the first quarter with a hand injury, further depleting the depth at that position. New Orleans was already missing LB Demario Davis (hamstring), who was inactive along with C Erik McCoy (groin), OG Cesar Ruiz (ankle). Kamara (hip pointer, ribs) could go for the Saints after being limited during the week.

Falcons: Andersen went out with a knee injury in the closing minutes and was replaced by rookie JD Bertrand. The offensive line was missing C Drew Dalman (ankle) and RT Kaleb McGary (knee).

Next

Saints: Travel to Kansas City next Monday night for a prime-time clash with the reigning two-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Falcons: Complete a three-game homestand Thursday night when they host another NFC South rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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