The two-time defending Super Bowl champs escaped Atlanta with a win Sunday. But they were impressed by the revamped Falcons.
“Raheem Morris being a new coach here, the Atlanta Falcons are in great hands,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a three-time Super Bowl winner, said. “They played hard, aggressive, good football on both sides of the ball.”
Consecutive fourth-down stops lifted the Chiefs to a 22-17 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons had their share of chances but couldn’t complete what would’ve been a massive coup for the franchise. Kansas City, meanwhile, won its third straight one-score game.
The Falcons’ defense did its part. It limited Patrick Mahomes to a pedestrian 26-for-39 for 217 yards, a touchdown and an ugly red-zone interception made by newcomer Justin Simmons.
It’s difficult to hold the Chiefs to 22 points. The Falcons wanted to limit big plays and make the Chiefs methodically drive down the field, Mahomes said. The Chiefs averaged 4.8 yards per play (on 72 plays).
While the Falcons’ offense has underwhelmed by its lofty expectations, the defense has meshed quicker than expected, especially with late signees Simmons and edge rusher Matt Judon. The Falcons haven’t yet surrendered more than two touchdowns in a game. The defense has held opponents to 20.3 points per game. The offense, guided by a new offensive coordinator (Zac Robinson) and quarterback (Kirk Cousins) should theoretically improve with increased continuity.
“They’re well coached,” Mahomes said. “Two great safeties (Jessie Bates and Simmons), great corners, and they do a good job of executing. Obviously, their goal was to make us drive the field, and they did that. They made the big turnover there in the red zone. That’s a good football team. I expect them to get better and better because whenever you bring a lot of different pieces in, it takes a little bit to get it going throughout the season. But that’s going to be a team that makes a lot of noise as the season goes on.”
The Falcons drove down the field in their last two drives but failed to score. The first time, a 15-play drive to the 6-yard line wound up fruitless after Cousins’ target to receiver Drake London was incomplete (the previous play, tight end Kyle Pitts might’ve drawn a pass interference in the end zone but the officials didn’t call it). Some wondered why the Falcons didn’t just take the three points and pull within two rather than go for it on fourth down; Reid understood the team’s mindset.
“Those are tough decisions there and they can go either way,” Reid said. “(Morris) stayed aggressive. He’s got a team that he’s training with an aggressive attitude. So that’s what they did.”
The Falcons were stuff on fourth-and-1 from the Chiefs’ 13-yard line in the ensuing drive, ending the game. Linebacker Nick Bolton said he recognized what the Falcons were trying to do before the snap because they’d used a similar concept before, and he darted through to tackle running back Bijan Robinson. The Chiefs’ defensive front obliterated the Falcons on that rep.
“Bolton, what a phenomenal play that was,” Reid said.
The Falcons will need to rebound quickly. They welcome the Saints to Atlanta next weekend, an opportunity to pull even with their arch rivals in the NFC South. The Saints and Buccaneers suffered home losses Sunday, so the Falcons (1-2) remain just one game back in the early season.
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