Third down troubles defined the day for the Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons fell short on a second consecutive comeback attempt, falling 22-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs and 1-2 on the season.
Read on for Hat tips & head-scratchers from Sunday’s game.
Hat tips
Opening drive.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins looked crisp and dialed in at the outset, a welcome development after the first couple of weeks. He found wide receiver Darnell Mooney a couple of times to move the ball, including a 26-yard completion. The drive culminated with Cousins finding wide receiver Drake London wide open at the far post for the touchdown to take the 7-0 lead.
That’s how the Falcons need to start against any team — let alone the defending Super Bowl champions.
Justin Simmons jumps the route
On the ensuing opening drive from Kansas City, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had the Chiefs offense driving. A 17-yard completion to wide receiver Rashee Rice aside, the Chiefs continued moving the chains on short passes and quarterback scrambles. Sitting on the Atlanta 14-ard-line and appearing poised to get into the end zone, safety Justin Simmons made his first impact play in Atlanta by jumping the route and snaring the interception.
Simmons is somewhat Mahomes’ kryptonite, as that was his sixth interception of the Kansas City quarterback. The Falcons signed Simmons late in the offseason for a reason — he showed exactly why on that play.
Jessie Bates punches it out.
Jessie Bates came up with a huge third-down stop in the fourth quarter, punching the football out of tight end Travis Kelce’s arms to force the incomplete pass and fourth down. Week in and week out, Bates continues to make plays that can sway the outcome of the game. While the Falcons would fall short on their comeback attempt in this one, this would have proved one of the key plays if Atlanta came back.
Head-scratchers
Kirk’s pick
Quarterback Kirk Cousins’ decision to let fly with a pass he should have tucked away allowed the Chiefs to tack a field goal onto the scoreline before the end of the half. Cousins was staring down tight end Kyle Pitts, who was covered by a defender, as the pocket collapsed. Defender Tershawn Wharton was able to get a hand on his arm as he was going through his throwing motion, resulting in a wobbling pass that was promptly intercepted by Chamarri Conner.
Cousins appeared dead set on reaching Pitts with that pass, and it’s a pass attempt he’d likely rather have back.
Third down woes
After their initial offensive drive, the Falcons were stymied on third down throughout the game. Atlanta finished Sunday night’s game 2/9 on third-down opportunities, which simply will not cut it for an offense with as much talent as the Falcons’. Third-down has been an issue all season long, and it’s an area that Raheem Morris & Co. need to address quickly lest the season be the story of stalled drives.
The non-call
The non-call on a clear defensive pass interference against Kyle Pitts was a travesty, full-stop. The fact that the officials needed to clarify the play after the game was over pretty much confirmed that they knew it was a blown call, as well. Safety Bryan Cook clearly arrived early and had Pitts draped around the waist prior to the ball arriving. There will always be room to fret about non-calls, but this one could have changed the game. The Falcons would have been sitting near the goal line with a full set of downs at their disposal, instead, they turned the ball over after a failed fourth-down pass to Drake London.