The Atlanta Falcons can’t seem to play a normal game.
Last week, they improbably claimed first place in the NFC South with a wild 37-34 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers, who missed a game-winning extra point after converting a Hail Mary touchdown.
Their Week 9 game against the Los Angeles Chargers also ended in bizarre fashion.
With less than a minute remaining in a tie game, Austin Ekeler fumbled a third-down run with the Chargers in field-goal range. The costly mistake looked to give the Falcons an opportunity to get within range of their own game-winning try.
Then Ta’Quon Graham dropped the ball.
No Chargers player even touched the defensive lineman; he just lost possession of the football.
Upon retrieving the ball, Justin Herbert erased the play’s loss of field position with a 22-yard completion to Joshua Palmer. Ekeler avoided another mishap when tacking on two more yards before Cameron Dicker hit a 37-yard field goal to secure a 20-17 win at the end of regulation.
Los Angeles survived the brief scare to improve to 5-3. Despite dropping to 4-5, Atlanta will at least end Week 9 in a tie atop its lackluster division.
The Falcons won’t have much time to catch their breath, as they have a rematch with the Panthers on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Chargers go to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Sunday night.