But of note from the win in Denver, WR Tyreek Hill was named the AFC’s offensive player of the week for his timely prolifics. But while he had successfully forced the Falcons to waste a timeout, a punt was not in the offing. The Chiefs defense is superb, but the Falcons offense is better.
Advertisement
For the Falcons, it all starts up front.
FALCONS: QB MATT RYAN ranks 3rd in National Football League in pass yards (3,516) & rating (114.3). They wrap up a 10-play, 81-yard drive with a Freeman touchdown. “Today, it was to play a game”. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons have found different ways to win despite ranking near the bottom of the league in yards allowed. The Falcons had taken a 28-27 lead on the Chiefs with a little over four minutes left when the Falcons made a decision to go for a two-point conversion. The Cardinals had success running some stunts and five-man blitzes against the Falcons, so with the Chiefs’ entire starting interior defensive line potentially out this week because of injury, Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton could have the opportunity to dial up some creative stuff while leaving plenty of players in off coverage, which could be a necessity against an offense that regularly feasts on man coverage by peppering the middle with passes. But Smith rose to the occasion, delivering a 10-yard strike on a slant to Wilson on third-and-6.
On offense, KC has a favorable matchup against a defense giving up the first-most yards passing per game (282.2) and fourth-most points per game (27.5). The only three teams in Atlanta history to allow more than 439 points finished with fewer than five wins.
After former Browns wideout Taylor Gabriel’s second explosive touchdown of the afternoon and fifth in the past four games, Atlanta tweeted a screen grab of Gabriel’s Wikipedia page.
Smith spent most of his afternoon peppering the Falcons secondary with a series of intermediate completions.
Read on for our Chiefs vs. Falcons prediction and preview. But he added an 86-yard kickoff return touchdown and became the first rookie since Gale Sayers in 1965 to score as a runner, receiver and returner in the same game.
Matt Bryant, though, kicked a 59-yard field goal as time expired to get the Falcons within 20-16 at halftime.
BRONCOS jeopardized playoff prospects with 30-27 Sunday-night overtime loss at home to division-rival Chiefs, despite 464-273 yardage edge and QB Trevor Simeian’s best game at pro level.
A little help from their special teams wouldn’t hurt either, of course.
The Falcons will now be charged with an even bigger test in their bid to maintain control of the division, playing host to a very unsafe Kansas City Chiefs team on Sunday afternoon.
Advertisement
The Kansas City Chiefs come to Georgia with an 8-3 record and having won 6 of 7 games since their bye week.
