The Atlanta Falcons should be very thankful for one Saquon Barkley drop.
The Falcons were supposed to make a big leap after a quarterback upgrade to Kirk Cousins, and they're one highly improbable win away from being 0-3. The Falcons started fast on Sunday night but the offense couldn't keep the momentum going and they lost 22-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Falcons had two chances to win in the fourth quarter. The first drive stalled inside the 10-yard line and was a turnover on downs, and the final shot to win was ended when Bijan Robinson was stopped for a loss on a fourth-and-inches handoff. It was a weird play call, with Robinson being given the handoff moving east and west instead of into the middle of the line. Perhaps concerns about the offensive line, which took on some injuries, played into the call. It didn't help that a quarterback sneak with Cousins, coming off a torn Achilles, wasn't on the table. Give the Chiefs credit for making the plays they needed to make to get the win.
The Falcons have had a tough schedule. The combined record of their three opponents is 8-1, and the one loss came when the Falcons rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 after Barkley's drop led to a game-winning drive by Atlanta. But the NFL doesn't have much sympathy for teams that have a tough stretch of the schedule. The Falcons aren't playing well enough to be better than 1-2. And they're pretty fortunate to be 1-2.
The Falcons got off to a fast start. Kirk Cousins hit Drake London for a 14-yard score and a 7-0 lead. After the Chiefs tied it, Bijan Robinson scored and the Falcons were back up 14-7. Then the offense, which lost a couple of offensive linemen to injuries, stalled. Even worse, the Falcons had a critical turnover near the end of the half.
Instead of playing it safe when they took over with 59 seconds remaining in the half, Cousins dropped back to pass, had his arm hit as he was pressured behind a banged-up offensive line and the Chiefs picked it off. The Chiefs got a field goal right at the end of the half to cut Atlanta's lead to 14-13.
The third quarter was all Chiefs. They went on a couple of 11-play drives, chewing up most of the clock and scoring a field goal and touchdown. Atlanta barely had the ball in the third quarter and trailed 22-14 going into the fourth quarter.
The only good news for the Falcons is the Chiefs hadn't put them completely away despite some chances to do so.
The Falcons got a field goal, then forced a punt. They trailed 22-17 with a shot to get a huge win over the two-time reigning champs. It wouldn't be their last chance.
The Falcons were backed up on their own 6-yard line but then the tempo started to pick up on offense, much like the two-minute drill that won them the game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. London caught a huge pass on fourth down to keep the drive alive. But on back-to-back plays inside the 10-yard line, Cousins threw incomplete to Kyle Pitts (with officials perhaps missing a defensive pass interference call) and London and the Chiefs took over on downs.
The Falcons got another chance right before the two-minute warning. The Chiefs punted after Mahomes misfired to Xavier Worthy on third down, when Worthy seemed to stop his route. That gave Cousins another chance for his second-game winning drive of the season. The drive was kept alive by a couple of Chiefs penalties, and the Falcons drove inside the 20-yard line. They faced fourth-and-inches with less than a minute to go. The Falcons inexplicably ran a wide play to Robinson and he was stopped well short of the line of scrimmage.
The Falcons had chances to win. They're just not ready to win yet. The Chiefs are used to being in that position and it showed.
Falcons vs. Chiefs: 'Sunday Night Football' Preview
NBC featured a matchup between two up-and-coming quarterbacks in Week 2 of its “Sunday Night Football” schedule. Now, it will turn back to a more proven duo in a battle of potential playoff contenders.
The Kansas City Chiefs are hitting the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a battle between teams trending in opposite directions to start the season.
The Chiefs have earned two close victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. Each contest came down to its final play, with Isaiah Likely's toe denying Baltimore a chance to tie Kansas City at the end of regulation in Week 1 and Harrison Butker drilling a 51-yard field goal in Week 2 to give the Chiefs a one-point win over the Bengals.
The Falcons are also coming off a nail-biting win, as they earned a last-minute victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football” in Week 2. Kirk Cousins continues to make strides in his return from a torn Achilles, and his ability to connect with Drake London and Darnell Mooney on the final drive should inspire hope among the Atlanta faithful as the team looks to pull off a second consecutive upset.
Here’s everything to know about the “Sunday Night Football” matchup for Week 3.
Chiefs vs. Falcons: How to watch, stream, odds, and more
The Falcons (1-1) are hosting the Chiefs (2-0) in NBC’s third official “Sunday Night Football” broadcast of the season. Kansas City enters the game favored to win, but Atlanta won’t be a pushover, as it showed during its 22-21 victory over Philadelphia on the road last week.
The Chiefs enter Week 3 dealing with some concerns at running back. Starter Isiah Pacheco was placed on IR after suffering a fractured fibula, while normal backup Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on the NFI list. That will leave Samaje Perine and Carson Steele as the top runners, so quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be relied on to carry the offense.
Mahomes hasn’t been as spectacular at the start of the season as fans are accustomed to seeing. He has tossed just three touchdowns compared to three interceptions across two games, and his 91.9 passer rating and 47.1 QBR ranks 15th and 19th in the NFL, respectively. That will do little to comfort the Falcons though, as the two-time MVP is bound to round into form eventually, especially with Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, and Xavier Worthy at his disposal.
That said, the biggest advantage the Chiefs hold over the Falcons may come on defense. Chris Jones figures to get solid interior pressure on Cousins which could pose problems for the 36-year-old quarterback. He doesn’t appear to have his full range of mobility as he recovers from a torn Achilles, so he might not be able to scramble away from pressure up the middle as easily as usual.
The Eagles couldn’t take advantage of Cousins’ weakness; the Chiefs are better positioned to do so.
The good news for Falcons fans is that Cousins started to gel with his teammates Drake London and Darnell Mooney, so the passing game should only improve as he settles into Zac Robinson’s offense. Still, the Falcons figure to rely more on Bijan Robinson to catalyze their offense in Week 3, as the Chiefs are allowing 129.5 rushing yards per game to begin the season.
Falcons vs. Chiefs: Kickoff time, how to watch
The Falcons vs. Chiefs game is set to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET. That will be the start time for most of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season.
NBC will also begin showing its pregame show –“Football Night In America” – at 7 p.m. ET. Maria Taylor will host that program alongside a host of NBC talents, including Jason Garrett, Tony Dungy, Devin McCourty and Matthew Berry.
“Sunday Night Football” will air on NBC in 2024, just as it has since the network bought the rights to the program in 2006.
Cord-cutters will still be able to catch the game using NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, or with Fubo, which comes with a free trial.
Falcons vs. Chiefs: Odds
The Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) visit the Atlanta Falcons (1-1) on “Sunday Night Football” to close out the day’s slate of games. Led by MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes (+275), the reigning two-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs will hit the road for the first time this season.
Atlanta, meanwhile, comes in fresh off a road upset of the Philadelphia Eagles. After a rough Falcons debut, Kirk Cousins had a much better performance in Week 2, completing 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns.
Spread: Chiefs -3## Money line: Chiefs (-170), Falcons (+145)## Over/Under: 46.5
First-half spread: Chiefs -2.5 (-105), Falcons +2.5 (-1) 15## Chiefs total points: 24.5 (Over -105/under -125)## Falcons total points: 21.5 (Over -105/under -125)
Patrick Mahomes total passing yards: 274.5 (Over +105/under -135)## Mahomes total passing TDs: 1.5 (Over -165/under +130)## Kirk Cousins total passing yards: 224.5 (Over -145/under +115)## Cousins total passing TDs: 1.5 (Over +105/under -135)
Bijan Robinson total rushing yards: 79.5 (Over +110/under -140)## Carson Steele total rushing yards: 44.5 (Over -120/under -110)
Rashee Rice total receiving yards: 79.5 (Over -100/under -130)## Travis Kelce total receiving yards: 49.5 (Over -110/under -120)## Drake London total receiving yards: 59.5 (Over -130/under -100)## Kyle Pitts total receiving yards: 39.5 (Over -120/under -110)## Xavier Worthy total receiving yards: 39.5 (Over -110/under -120)## Darnell Mooney total receiving yards: 34.5 (Over -125/under -105)## Ray-Ray McCloud III total receiving yards: 34.5 (Over +100/under -130)## Bijan Robinson total receiving yards: 29.5 (Over -115/under -115)
Falcons vs. Chiefs: Betting storylines
Kyle Pitts 50+ receiving yards (+145). It has been a slow start for Pitts again. This is the matchup, though, that gives him his best chance of breaking out. The Chiefs have allowed opposing tight ends to catch 25 passes for 275 yards through the first two weeks of the season. Kirk Cousins looked better against the Eagles, leading Atlanta down the field for the winning drive with under two minutes to go. Atlanta should target Pitts often in this game, given what Baltimore and Cincinnati tight ends have done to this defense thus far.
Patrick Mahomes OVER 0.5 INT. Mahomes has already thrown three interceptions in the first two weeks of the season. Now with running back Isiah Pacheco on IR, Andy Reid should be even further incentivized to drop back Mahomes as often as possible. Due to that expected increase in passing volume, we also get more opportunities for a mistake. The Falcons have very good playmakers in the secondary in A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates III.
The Falcons are 3-9 ATS in their past 12 games as an underdog entering SNF.
Kirk Cousins is 5-1 ATS in his past six prime-time games entering SNF.
Patrick Mahomes has three interceptions, which would be the most through two games by a quarterback to win MVP since 2002 (Rich Gannon). Mahomes is -140 to throw an INT in Week 3.
Rashee Rice has gone over his receiving yards prop in 7 straight games going back to last season, the longest active streak among wide receivers.
Bijan Robinson put up over 100-plus scrimmage yards in both games this season; his Week 3 prop is 106.5 and he's -185 to reach the century mark again.
The Chiefs are 6-13 ATS in their past 19 prime-time games. The Falcons are 2-8 ATS in their past 10 prime-time games.
Prime-time unders are 161-111-4 since 2019 (.592). “Sunday Night Football” unders are 57-31-2 in that span (.648).
Chiefs vs. Falcons: Game recap
Kansas City gets to 3-0 with a “Sunday Night Football” road win over Atlanta.
The Kansas City Chiefs came into “Sunday Night Football” hoping to extend their record to 3-0 as they continue their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl victory. They got the job done with a 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Chiefs won the opening coin toss, deferring the decision of possession to the second half. Atlanta opened with the ball, starting from the 30-yard line after a touchback.
The Falcons attacked the Chiefs’ defense early with play-action passes; back-to-back completions to wide receiver Darnell Mooney gained 35 yards and were set up by fake handoffs. The Chiefs’ defense stifled the rushes, but Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins diced up the coverage into the red zone.
On third down, he found wide receiver Drake London wide open in the end zone. That gave Atlanta an early 7-0 lead.
The Chiefs’ offense got going after bad field position, with help from the rookies: wide receiver Xavier Worthy moved the chains one time, then running back Carson Steele another. Second-year wideout Rashee Rice took over to gain the next two first downs, including a close call on fourth and short in Atlanta territory.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes came out firing from the break for review, looking for Worthy in the end zone — but the pass was broken up. It turned into third down quickly, but Rice came open for another first down. It was an inaccurate throw he caught, which foreshadowed the end of the drive: Mahomes’ attempt to score was intercepted by Falcons’ safety Justin Simmons, the sixth time he has intercepted the Chiefs’ signal caller.
To make up for Mahomes’ fourth interception of the season, the Chiefs’ defense stepped up and forced a quick punt on the next drive. Defensive end George Karlaftis made a tackle for loss on first down, then helped disrupt Cousins’ dropback on third down.
The Chiefs put together another methodical drive in their second chance, with Rice and running back Samaje Perine moving the chains into Atlanta’s side of the field. The offense did settle into third down and long, but Mahomes broke the pocket and made a throw to the sideline to push the possession into the red zone.
Mahomes continued leaning on Rice, looking his way on third down with sights on the goal line. He scored, tying the game at 7-7.
The Chiefs’ defense came out and got a third-down stop, but defensive tackle Chris Jones drew a flag for roughing the passer that extended the possession near midfield. That set up a big play for the Falcons, finding tight end Kyle Pitts streaking down the field past safety Justin Reid. Running back Bijan Robinson punched it in from there, giving Atlanta a 14-7 advantage.
With a seven minutes left in the first half, the Chiefs got their next drive going with the run game. The team set up in field goal position, and stalled — so kicker Harrison Butker made the long kick to tighten the score. The Falcons still led 14-10.
In the two-minute drill, the Falcons went to work, but defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah blew up their attempt to score before halftime quickly. On second down, he nailed Cousins from the blind side, causing a fumble that was eventually pushed out of bounds. The Chiefs got off the field on third down the next play, giving possession back to Mahomes with just over 90 seconds in the second quarter.
Kansas City couldn’t produce anything with their scoring opportunity; on third down, a throw to Rice went off his hands and nearly into the intercepting hands of Falcons’ safety Jessie Bates. The Chiefs had to punt.
The Chiefs’ defense flipped the script quickly, giving the ball right back to Mahomes on an interception by safety Chamarri Conner. Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton hit Cousins as he threw, then Conner handed off to cornerback Jaylen Watson so he could advance to the Falcons’ 34-yard line.
With 30 seconds left, the Chiefs could not take advantage of the turnover for six points. Two attempts down the field fell incomplete, and the team settled for another field goal. The convert kick squeezed Atlanta’s lead to 14-13. That led into the halftime break.
The Chiefs’ offense started the second half quickly getting over midfield, still leaning on catch and runs by Rashee Rice. He moved the chains twice to put the Chiefs close to the Falcons’ 35-yard line, then tight end Travis Kelce ran across the field for a big completion.
In the red zone, Steele toted the rock twice to advance inside the five-yard line, then was stuffed on back-to-back plays to set up third and goal. Mahomes couldn’t find an open target on his attempt, leading to a desperate throw over everyone’s heads as he was hit. The Chiefs settled for the field goal once more, taking the lead 16-14 early in the third quarter.
With momentum from the last drives of the first half, the Chiefs’ defense came out attacking Atlanta’s offense. The aggression set up third down, and Cousins’ attempt to step up through pressure was denied by defensive tackle Mike Pennel, who tripped him up from the turf. The Falcons were forced to punt.
Kansas City picked up where they left off on offense, with Rice extending a career day in production: he gained 27 yards on one play that advanced into Falcons’ territory. Mahomes took the ball himself a few snaps later, pushing the drive into the red zone after a 15-yard scramble.
From the 10-yard line, a pass to Rice was caught and corralled for negative yardage, and he stayed down after the play. On the ensuing third down, Mahomes beat the blitz with a quick throw to wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, and he finished the play in the end zone. The Chiefs suddenly led 22-14 with one minute left in the third quarter after a missed point after.
With an eight-point lead to defend, linebacker Nick Bolton shot through the line and made a tackle for loss on a first down the next drive. Then, Robinson found space on a screen pass, working towards midfield as the third period ended.
The Chiefs continued stuffing the run, forcing the Falcons into third down — but Cousins found a completion this time with Conner trailing in man coverage. The defense just settled in again, and got through on the next third down to force a drive-stalling incompletion. Atlanta was able to convert the long kick, eating into the Chiefs’ 22-17 lead.
With a chance to close out the game with a touchdown, the Chiefs’ offense fell flat on its face. The three and out was punctuated with a throw to Kelce being broken up by the oncoming Bates. The Chiefs gave the Falcons the ball right back.
From their own 11-yard line, Atlanta worked itself out of bad field position, passing midfield after a big completion to London where linebacker Drue Tranquill was just late to sack Cousins. That led to another big play by Atlanta, setting up just outside the red zone.
The Chiefs forced fourth down with a strong run stuff, but Atlanta quickly lined up and converted the ensuing fourth down with a short pass. The defense kept holding up the run, and forced another third down inside the 10-yard line. That play ended in an incomplete pass; safety Bryan Cook broke up the attempt.
On fourth down, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent the blitz after Cousins again, and it forced an awkward pass that fell short of the intended receiver. The Chiefs stood their ground, giving the offense possession with four minutes left.
Mahomes and company were unable to finish off the drive, and failed to even move the chains. A mistake by Worthy on his third-down route led to an incompletion, and gave Atlanta possession with just over two minutes to go.
The Falcons pushed to the Chiefs’ 48-yard line with help from two defensive penalties: one on Conner, another on McDuffie for pass interference. That was the last play before the two-minute warning.
A horse-collar tackle by cornerback Jaylen Watson gave the Falcons another free set of downs, but cornerback Nazeeh Johnson followed it up by blowing up a short pass on the next play. For second and long, Conner closed on a pass over the middle, but missed the tackle, allowing London to escape for a strong gain.
It was short of the sticks, and the Chiefs’ defense got a run stop on third down. The Falcons went for it on fourth and inches, but an outside run attempt was stuffed by linebacker Nick Bolton. The leader of the defense fought through injuries suffered during the game to seal the win.
After a few kneeldowns, the Chiefs clinched the 22-17 win and improved their season record to 3-0.
Chiefs vs. Falcons: Key Injuries
Wide receiver Rashee Rice stayed down after a catch in the third quarter; he was tackled awkwardly.
Linebacker Nick Bolton appeared to suffer a lower-back injury in the second half, but played through it.
Chiefs vs. Falcons: Key Stats
Kicker Harrison Butker made his first point-after attempt in the second quarter. He then made a 53-yard attempt in the second quarter.
Butker made two other field goals in the game, then missed his second point-after attempt late in the third quarter.
Punter Matt Araiza had three punts, one landing inside the 20-yard line.
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman returned his first kick for 19 yards, then gained 32 yards on the second one. His first punt for 12 yards in the first quarter.
Linebacker Leo Chenal was flagged for holding on the Chiefs’ first kick return.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
