Down by a field goal with 46 seconds remaining, the Chargers fed Melvin Gordon on 3rd-and-1 only to find the running back stuffed behind the line of scrimmage.
Only he wasn't.
As Falcons fans roared, cheering what looked like a surefire tackle for loss, Gordon refused to go down. Shedding the tackler, he bounced to the left and churned out 13 yards for a new set of downs.
Gordon's never say die attitude was indicative of the entire team's, as the Bolts clawed back from a 17-point deficit for an emotional 33-30 road victory over Atlanta.
Philip Rivers had the best view in the house for the play, and didn't mince words about it after the game.
"Unreal run," he said. "That was a huge run."
While there were a number of heroes on offense, the win wouldn't have been possible without the second-year running back. Gordon accounted for three touchdowns on the day, running for two and catching another as he is now tied for the NFL lead with 10 total touchdowns. In addition to his hat trick of scores, he carried the ball 22 times for 68 yards and caught six passes for another 53, accounting for 121 total yards of offense.
Gordon's third down conversion late in the fourth quarter wasn't his only big play late in the game on the money down. After San Diego's defense stopped Atlanta on fourth down in overtime, he soared over the pile for a two yard gain on 3rd-and-1 at Atlanta's 34. He carried the next ball for a gain of five, putting the Chargers safely in field goal range as Josh Lambo booted the game-winning field goal.
Touchdowns will always gain the most attention, but Gordon put the team on his back with the pair of 3rd-and-1 conversions with the game on the line.
"It's a good feeling," he said. "As a running back, you take pride in third downs and it irritates or bothers you a little bit when you don't get it. Because in your head you are thinking 'Why didn't I get it?' So when you do get it, it is a good feeling, definitely knowing you put your team in a good position to win the game."
