Opinion: Unlikely hero is fitting savior for resilient NFL team

ATLANTA – It was a moment that could have been made in Hollywood. KhaDarel Hodge was summoned from the Atlanta Falcons bench in overtime of an absolutely wild game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and then… 
He blacked out. 
Hodge took a short pass from Kirk Cousins on a simple stop route, eluded a defender, cut down the middle of the field and raced to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown that punctuated a 36-30 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  
If Hodge didn’t live it, he might not have believed it. After all, as the fourth receiver on an offense loaded with star power, Hodge would be one of the most unlikely heroes. 
Then again, these are the 2024 Falcons, who have been flowing with this knack for taking games down to the wire. In winning three of their past four games in such fashion, the Falcons (3-2) have catapulted into first place in the NFC South. 
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To survive this time, they needed to overcome an ugly crunch time interception by Cousins, get a 52-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo as time expired in regulation, win the overtime coin toss and then let the backup receiver bring it home. 
It seems so fitting that Hodge – a seventh-year pro with his fourth team since entering the league as an undrafted free agent from an HBCU, Prairie View A&M – was the Man of the Hour hoisted upon the shoulders of teammates when it was over. 
“I can’t make this up,” Hodge said, holding court in a festive locker room afterward. “It still, to me, feels like a movie. I checked in (for) one play and to go to the crib? Me? I don’t know what to say. When I scored, I kind of blacked out, and I saw the guys coming.” 
To mob him. Like a hero. 
Again. 
Four days earlier, Hodge was mobbed in the other end zone after diving into a pile and recovering a muffed punt for a touchdown that turned around to be rather critical in a victory against the New Orleans Saints that was achieved without the Falcons offense scoring a touchdown. 
Now, on a night that Cousins broke Matt Ryan’s franchise record with 509 yards – ironically, with Ryan in attendance as he was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor at halftime – Hodge left the lasting impression. 
Someone asked him how it ranked among his most memorable NFL moments. He seemed startled by the question. He’s started seven career games. Respectfully, he confirmed that nothing topped Thursday night’s finish. 
Then he added a quick factoid. 
“This is my first time actually having two touchdowns in a season,” he said. 
It is easy to appreciate the dedication in players like Hodge, considering his journey. He was a quarterback at Mendenhall (Mississippi) High School, then played at Alcorn State and Hinds Community College before settling in for three years at Prairie View. After breaking in with the Los Angeles Rams, he had stints with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions before landing with the Falcons in 2022. 
He knows the odds of him becoming a smashing success were stacked against him. But he’s still in the league. Although his snaps on offense are limited, he’s made a mark as an outstanding special teams player. 
“It’s big, coming from an HBCU,” he said. “You’re fighting every year for a roster spot, the fourth or fifth receiver. You’ve got to go with the mindset, ‘I’ve got to get it out of the mud and take advantage of every opportunity, whether it’s on (special) teams or on offense.’ You’ve got to have that mindset to not quit.” 
Don’t quit. That’s surely a fair representation of these Falcons, but it also captures the game-winning play. Hodge maintains that for a player with few opportunities to touch the football, he’s always thinking of trying to take a catch for the distance. 
On his made-for-Hollywood play, Hodge had 41 yards of YAC (yards after the catch) after breaking free from Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum, who took a bad angle with his man-to-man coverage. 
“I’ve got a little speed then,” Hodge said. “Guys were teasing me, saying I almost got caught. I’ve got to look at the film.” 
In another corner of the locker room, fellow wide receiver Darnell Mooney jokingly kept up the narrative.  
“He was running super slow,” Mooney said. “But I’m so proud of the guy.” 
Hodge can watch the replay over and over again. And it will be just as sweet, starring in a Hollywood ending that happened in real life.