Running back Tyler Allgeier would gain two total yards on the next two plays making it third down and nine with two minutes left.

Instead of using one more down to run the ball, Arthur Smith sent in the field goal unit to end the game. As intense as this battle was, Younghoe Koo remained poised as a blaring Mercedes-Benz Stadium surrounded him.

From 41 yards out, Koo sealed the win for the Falcons helping to lift the team to first place in the NFC South.

“We got all the faith in the world in Younghoe, that’s why I called it on third down,” Smith said in a post-game press conference. “If something happens, get back up and we’ll kick it again. Just happy for these guys and this team.”

Panthers’ kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed two game-winning field goals that would provide Atlanta chance-after-chance to win the game, which led to Koo sealing the victory.

“I caught myself saying to myself ‘you never know’,” Koo said after the game. “At the end of the day you got to be ready. There’s no excuse to be like ‘oh, I thought it was over, so I wasn’t prepared’. Nobody cares, you got to just stay ready. It’s not over until the whistles are blown so just stay ready, locked in and be ready to go.”

Koo was efficient through all four quarters on Sunday, going 3-for-3 on field goals, and 4-for-4 on extra points. This marks the fourth game-winning field goal of his career and the first one of this season.

In Koo’s calm yet cool demeanor, as described by teammates, the pressure of knowing he was the deciding factor of this matchup never fazed him.

“I try to stay detached from the emotional part of the game,” he said. “No matter what happens, I got to get ready to go. I just try to get locked in and try to stick to my process and thought process.”

Every player and coach on the Falcons sideline all had solid belief in Koo making the game winning field goal on Sunday and that proved true in a roller coaster of a win.