Patrick Mahomes delivered two touchdown passes, and Kansas City Chiefs’ defense came through with key stops late in the game, securing a 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons and keeping the Kansas City undefeated on Sunday night.
“We haven’t played well, in really, all three games,” Mahomes revealed to the media during his post-game interview.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (3-0) haven’t been flawless, but they’ve only managed to win their first three games by a combined total of just 13 points.
Patrick Mahomes not being satisfied with his play recently for the Chiefs
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
“We’ve been able to win, and that speaks to the character of the team, the grit, and how we’ve been in these situations before. But I’ll speak especially offensively for me, I feel like I haven’t played very well. That’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at,” said the Chiefs quarterback Mahomes, who connected on 26 of 39 passes for 217 yards, throwing touchdown passes to Rashee Rice and Juju Smith-Schuster, along with one interception. Harrison Butker contributed with three field goals for the Chiefs.
“So, that’s about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position, and then we got to execute at a higher level offensively. If teams are going to make us drive the field we have to prove that we’re able to do that,” Mahomes continued.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 20 of 29 passes for 230 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown to Drake London and a 50-yard connection with Kyle Pitts, which set up Bijan Robinson’s one-yard touchdown run. The Falcons (1-2) had chances late in the game but couldn’t capitalize to secure the win.
The Chiefs outlasting the gritty Falcons
Building on the momentum from their last-minute upset against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cousins and the Falcons swiftly marched 70 yards downfield after receiving the opening kickoff, capping the drive with a touchdown.
Cousins connected on all five of his passes for 66 yards during the drive, including a touchdown throw to London, who had also caught the game-winner against the Eagles. London found himself wide open in the end zone due to a breakdown in the Chiefs’ coverage.
Mahomes answered with an impressive 75-yard drive over 17 plays, but it ended without points. Targeting Noah Gray in the end zone, Mahomes was picked off by Justin Simmons, marking his fourth interception of the season.
The Chiefs’ star quarterback quickly recovered from the interception, leading Kansas City on a 13-play, 79-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rice.
Atlanta’s offensive line suffered a blow when right tackle Kaleb McGary and center Drew Dalman left the game with injuries. With two backups stepping in, the line struggled to protect Cousins, who was sacked twice and hit 10 additional times while attempting to pass.
One of those hits led to a shaky pass intercepted by Chamarri Conner, setting up Butker’s 44-yard field goal that narrowed the Falcons’ lead to 14-13 by halftime.
Butker gave the Chiefs the lead for good with a 21-yard chip shot in the third quarter, and Kansas City extended that lead with Patrick Mahomes’ 13-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Schuster.
The Chiefs continue their road trip next Sunday, heading to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers (2-1), while the Falcons will play their second of three consecutive home games against the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.
