5 hours ago
Image by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images For a short, beaming minute, the Atlanta Falcons resembled they would certainly top off two straight tough weeks versus contenders with success versus stated competitors. They were in a position to make it occur with a crucial quit against the Chiefs violation, followed by a long drive that brought them within striking range of completion zone down 5 factors. In the end, they showed up just short, and it's difficult not to be torn in between being thrilled at simply how close they came and irritated at how they eventually out of the most difficult stretch of the period at 1-2 is not unforeseen. What is unexpected is exactly how the Falcons did that-- with a stunning win versus the Eagles and a loss to the Steelers, so narrow a loss to Kansas City-- and the level to which they remained in those video games up until the very end. It took an extremely frustrating missed pass interference get in touch with Kyle Pitts and a doubtful last play call combined with a sturdy initiative by the Chiefs protection to put the nail in Atlanta's coffin. Take from that what you will-- I definitely recognized the post-game angst from fellow followers-- yet the Falcons going from unstable to open up the season to an exceptionally difficult out against the defending Super Dish champions in the period of 3 weeks is the sort of development I really hoped to Falcons handled to maintain themselves in this game by passing the sphere quite efficiently and a minimum of partly keeping Patrick Mahomes and firm in check, an outstanding accomplishment in its very own right. They played themselves out of it partly by permitting a lot of large plays by dint of missed tackles, a shoddy day from the run defense yet once again, and a run game that started a bit sluggish and cratered with the loss of key offending electrician. It was an unequal effort, and the understanding that it was still nearly adequate to win this game may or might refrain from doing anything for you in the end. Yet now that they are 1-2, simply a game behind the unexpectedly prone Buccaneers and Saints, it's time to ensure that progression, enhancement, and strength translate into success. The Falcons have shown us repeatedly in recent times that no excellent stretch converts to lasting success, and that combating tough one week implies dissatisfaction adheres to in the next. This team currently feels different by virtue of simply how close they concerned toppling the Chiefs and just how much improvement really feels within their grip, but that will certainly amount to a load of nothing if they can't build on it while dealing with the locations in which they've dropped. They'll have the opportunity to to make their instance that this truly is a challenger by going through the Saints, Buccaneers, and Panthers over the following three weeks prior to handling one of the NFC's best in the Seahawks. In the meantime, we're delegated rue what might have been-- a 2-1 record with 2 straight primetime triumphes would certainly be gold-- and imagine concerning what may be ahead. Below's the full recap from the Chiefs game. The GoodKirk Cousins was borderline surgical on the opening drive, going 6/6 for a touchdown. You may have seen a little wobble on a couple of rounds, but with Zac Robinson calling a dazzling drive and Relatives festinating and smart, as he did throughout this game when he had the moment in the pocket to do so. Apart from a handful of still off-kiler throws and an interception on a play where he most likely shouldn't have actually attempted to obtain the round off, Relatives did a strong work of averting stress, delivered passes where they required to go, and engineered efficient drives. It's clear that his Week 1 performance was part tactical plan, part a corroded quarterback coming off a significant injury requiring time to solve You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., and currently he appears like a qualified guardian for a good violation, one capable of delivering large drives and special days when he's dealing. It was an additional good game from Bijan Robinson, also if the stat line will not come close to blowing your mind. Once again, he made points occur after the catch or after first contact, transforming nothing plays into a little of something versus a difficult Kansas City front. But the running had not been the principal superlative-- Allgeier did much better on less lugs there-- even the pass protection was. Rather of an obligation in pass pro a year earlier, Robinson honed his craft in the springtime and summer and is suddenly delivering game-changing blocks that enable Relatives to step into big throws, as he did repeatedly in this one. Now among the video game's more total backs, Robinson has far more effective days in advance of him. We were awaiting the Kyle Pitts breakout effort, which was more detailed. With Cousins really getting him the sphere deep downfield and a willingness and ability to keep the play passing hammering out get in touch with and trotting, Pitts almost took it for a touchdown on the play, his lengthiest in current memory, and showcased both the wheels and physicality that made him such a treasured prospect for the Falcons. That and a good 9 lawn pickup later represented his contribution, yet being reminded of his big play capacity goes a lengthy way. Darnell Mooney is someone Relatives trusts with his life, and it truly displayed in this one. Cousins looked his way once more and again, targeting him over the middle, downfield, and on short routes where Mooney needed to make something out of nothing. Those targets were a mixed bag-- especially the short ones, where Mooney could not obtain the barring-- yet he ended up with 8 catches for 66 backyards and must remain to be a high-volume choice with game-breaking possibility. Drake London, at the same time, is simply an actually great gamer. Reserve the vast open goal where London got open many thanks in part to a smart play style by Zac Robinson and concentrate on all the other targets, where London reeled in challenging catches and sculpted out additional yardage by being wise, going to absorb get in touch with, or both. As the death game remains to discover its footing and London continues to construct a rapport with Relatives, he'll rack up some large games to the advantage of the whole violation. How does he do it? When Patrick Mahomes attempted to top off a long, tiring opening Chiefs drive with a goal line shot, Justin Simmons existed to leap in front of it and intercept it, killing Kansas City's great times and finishing points right there. Simmons currently had chosen off Mahomes even more than any type of various other gamer in football as a long time Bronco, and he included in the total amount at a superb time to finish a racking up drive that we now recognize would certainly have likely have actually at some point aided the Chiefs placed the video game unreachable. On an evening where the run defense was once more a bit of a distressing trouble area-- that isn't a theme we wish to see continuing-- David Onyemata was an exception. He made several quits and was a disruptive force on the interior against the Chiefs, offering badly needed durability at the point of strike. Through the very first few weeks, Onyemata, Grady Jarrett, and the additional are giving the strength of this run defense, and they need aid. Jessie Bates appears when he's needed, as he did separating a substantial 3rd down pass to Travis Kelce and smelling out a number of runs. He and A.J. Terrell, who provided some huge hits to Rashee Rice and Carson Steele, set the tone for a physical day from the second. Chiefs en route while kicking a 54 backyard effort? Allow's put that a person right down the center. Koo's preseason has a hard time seem a distant memory in this young period, because that was just one of his better career attempts from a range the Falcons once hesitated to trust him from. That connected an occupation long for Atlanta's kicker, a gamer I'm mighty happy for at minutes like those. The coaching staff is going to obtain flack for late choices and the loss, which's only right. I still believed Robinson largely called a reliable gameplan for this violation, specifically the passing game, and the means he had the ability to at some point shake off the loss of Kaleb McGary and Drew Dalman to obtain the crime relocating late was a testimony to flexibility we questioned after Week 1. Jimmy Lake and firm having the Falcons defense clamp down so hard in the 4th quarter to keep the Falcons in it was a striking point, also, especially because they held the Chiefs to their least expensive 2024 point total. Agreeing to opt for the goal when you know the Chiefs are qualified of transforming a three point introduce a 10 point one and killing you was, I thought, the best phone call too. It was far from an excellent day from a personnel that needs to be able to help the Falcons close these video games out regularly, yet it was also a respectable one versus among the most well-coached groups in football. The UglyMissed tackles are the early season theme for Atlanta's protection. They missed Area a handful of times in Week 1, could not bring down Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts sometimes in Week 2, and had trouble reducing Rashee Rice and Samaje Perine in this one. Those missed out on possibilities to end drives and slow offenses have genuine consequences, as they did when the Chiefs maintained expanding drives, chewing out time, and inevitably racking up. That is, if you wish to aim to what I stated above, a product to call out the team for, offered that they require to work to obtain these players preventing evident blunders. This was a very tough competition for evident reasons, considered that Patrick Mahomes is a sorcerer and weapons like Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce are tough to quit. Even so, the Falcons defense shed matches they knew they couldn't lose and dropped in means we hoped they wouldn't, from getting crushed by Rice after the reach enabling Carson Steele to get chunks of yardage to offering Mahomes far way too much time to function his specific brand of magic. The result was a high quality defensive initiative overall that had not been fairly sufficient to get rid of the crime's injuries and struggles; we can both identify that this matchup was taxing and recognize that the Falcons have problems with pressure, run defense, and taking on that need to get cleaned up in the weeks ahead. Kirk Cousins obtaining crushed and unleashing with the round wherefore certain looked like an incomplete pass but was called a fumble on the area got even weirder when Bijan Robinson kicked the round out of bounds You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., making the fateful and probably smart choice not to trust the officiating team to obtain it right. Followers said that the umpires should have reviewed it and stated it an incomplete, saving the Falcons from a substantial penalty, yet provided the uncertainty that they would certainly do so I discover it hard responsible Bijan. Avery Williams did not fumble, happily, yet that one added relocation that almost caused a game-altering fumble deep in Atlanta's territory was not worth it. Lesson ideally discovered. It's not an exaggeration to claim that the Falcons were partially sunk by their losses along the offensive line. That belongs of football, obviously, and not an excuse for the means things went. However you also can't claim that having no Kaleb McGary and no Drew Dalman, with the resulting absence of running plays and pass defense that produced, had nothing to do with the group's violation going from relatively solid to fairly worthless quickly. While Atlanta recuperated, their absence of rely on harassing it up the middle at the end of the game and/or creeping with Cousins on 4th and inches informed the story of exactly how substantial those losses offense maintains looking fairly great for stretches, yet then you recall and see as well several opportunities left on the table. In particular, the Falcons had trouble on third and fourth downs, going a brutal 2 of 9 on 3rd and 1 for 3 on fourth. When you can not prolong those drives at key places, you're mosting likely to depress your scoring overall, which has been a major consider both losses therefore far. Injuries aside, the run obstructing for Robinson was deeply disappointing. Even before the Falcons shed both players, Robinson was locating openings to be tiny and fast to dissipate, and he obtained squashed in the backfield several times on no-chance running plays. The putrid sub-2 backyards per carry average is not entirely or even primarily on the running back; also versus quality fronts, the Falcons have to have the ability to supply more wiggle room than that. The last 2 play calls will earn Zac Robinson some warranted scrutiny this week, though it appears we have to look askance at Kirk Cousins too. Increasing the center with Tyler Allgeier on third down did not promise to function, provided the state of the line, but it's the sort of play phone call with your hammer back that is perfectly affordable. The fourth down phone call, with inches to go, featured the Falcons obtaining Robinson around to the side, forcing a gifted back to go a lengthy means to obtain a very brief pickup. That play, obviously, was crushed by Nick Bolton discovering a gap and blowing it up, and Bolton just does that. However the lack of belief in the ability to sneak it or go up the middle does not bode well for this line if those injuries linger, and if Relatives is altering out of a play with a better opportunity at the line of scrimmage, that's not great. As a regulation, trying to go way around to get the tiny amount of yardage you require doesn't finish 'll conserve our last note for the no-call on Kyle Pitts. In a video game where both teams most likely had genuine grievances concerning the officiating team, the reality that a Chiefs defender was able to wrap their arms around the limited end in the long run zone in a way that clearly restrained his ability to obtain the sphere thrown to him without a telephone call still sticks out as a specifically discouraging minute. It's challenging not to daydream concerning the Falcons obtaining the sphere with another, closer contended the end area and converting it for the victory, however we recognize these points do not transform. We can only lament. NBC's Cris Collinsworth, chatting Kyle Pitts and the non-called endzone DPI last drive:" No doubt that ought to have been a fine and Falcons ball on the one-yard line." https:///9xqRLjQUgRThe WrapupGame MVPIt's a tough one, provided exactly how up-and-down this was and just how numerous gamers added. I'll offer it to Justin Simmons for turning a guaranteed goal right into a turnover, which possibly changed the course of this video game and enabled Atlanta to hang about for all those lots of mins. One TakeawayThe Falcons have a great deal to work with-- the missed out on tackles, the aggravating play calls, the troubling run protection trends-- but they have a high quality football group that has now been competitive-to-terrific against three top quality challengers. I do not assume we ought to neglect that. Following WeekThe loathsome Saints. Blech. Look Into Canal Street Chronicles if you intend to see Saints fans being sad regarding a loss and previewing the video game, I think. Final WordWinnexttime. In This Stream Falcons - Chiefs Week 3 Sunday Night Football coverageFalcons rookie report: Crickets for the course in Week 3 Falcons vs. Chiefs recap: Close however cigarless on Sunday night Snap reactions: The Falcons go out turning against the champsView all 27 tales