End of Third Quarter: Chiefs 22, Falcons 14
The Chiefs offense resumed dominating possession and temp in the third quarter, running 22 plays for 147 yards and 9 points, thanks to a 21-yard field goal from Harrison Butker and a 13-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Falcons possessed the ball for only one complete drive — a three-and-out in between the Kansas City scoring drives. Atlanta ran just six plays for 33 yards and held possession for just 3:36 in the third quarter.
Mahomes was 8-of-9 for 87 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter while Carson Steele had nine carries for 38 yards and Rashee Rice led all receivers with five catches for 48 yards.
Halftime: Falcons 14, Chiefs 13
A leisurely paced first quarter gave way to a frantic second stanza as each team put points on the board but also missed opportunities with turnovers and penalties playing key roles.
The Chiefs got the scoring started with a 13-play, 79-yard drive finished off with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Rashee Rice with 8:45 left in the first half. After that, it was a messy second quarter on both sides.
Atlanta benefited first from the mistakes when a debatable roughing the passer call against Chris Jones kept alive the Falcon’s next drive. Two plays later Kirk Cousins connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for a 50-yard gain to the Kansas City 1-yard line, and Bijan Robinson went into the end zone on the next snap for a 14-7 lead.
The Chiefs responded with a 53-yard field goal from Harrison Butker. Atlanta nearly turned the football over on back-to-back plays, first when Felix Anudike-Uzomah drilled Cousins to force the ball out and then when Cousins botched the snap and only a heads up play by Robinson saved the day.
Kansas City looked as if it’s chance to score before halftime evaporated after a three-and-out. Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton reversed those fortunes, however, when he hit Cousins on a dropback, forcing a wobbly pass intercepted by safety Chamarri Conner and returned to the Falcons 34-yard line. That led to a 44-yard field by Butker.
Chiefs will receive the opening kickoff of the second half with an opportunity to take their first lead of the game.
End of First Quarter: Falcons 7, Chiefs 0
The good news for the Chiefs: the defense improved after a rough opening drive in which the Falcons marched 70 yards in seven plays in less than four minutes. The defense got off the field on drive No. 2 yielding just 13 yards in five plays.
The bad news: The offense averaged a meager 4.1 yards on 17 plays in the first quarter, all on a single drive that ended with Patrick Mahomes’ fourth interception of the season.
Wanya Morris Starting at Left Tackle
The Chiefs will make a change Sunday night with Wanya Morris stepping into the starting lineup at left tackle in place of Kingsley Suamataia. Head coach Andy Reid said Friday that “the two tackles will both have an opportunity to get in there.”
The starting assignment is a big career moment for Morris, who grew up in Grayson, Georgia, just 35 miles from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He acquired 42 tickets for friends and family for this week’s game, and countless other acquaintances expect to be among the sellout crowd.
The first opportunity to play in his hometown stadium in front of his family and friends has tremendous meaning to Morris.
“I’m excited to see how that grass feels, see what it’s like,” Morris said. “Just perform in front of my people, have my people out there just watching and congratulate me. And that’s not just a big step for me, it’s a big step for them because for me to make it this far, it’s an honor to hold that name and put light to it.”
Atlanta Coincidence
On Dec. 4, 2016, Morris helped Grayson capture the Georgia 7A high school state championship with a 23-20 victory over Roswell. That was the final high school championship game played in the Georgia Dome.
Six days later, the Chiefs visited the Georgia Dome for the final time and escaped with a 29-28 victory. Another Atlanta-area native, Eric Berry, delivered the heroics when he intercepted a Matt Ryan pass on a two-point conversion and returned it for the first defensive two-point conversion in NFL history.
Chiefs, Falcons Inactive List
Kansas City has a short inactive list against the Atlanta Falcons since they have just 52 players on the active roster and did not make any practice squad elevations.
The Chiefs placed receiver Hollywood Brown and running back Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve and waived tight Peyton Henderson during the last nine days. They added running back Keaontay Ingram and linebacker Cole Christiansen to the active roster, leaving one spot open. Hendershot was re-signed to the practice squad, joining running back Kareem Hunt. Hunt was not elevated this week.
The full inactive list for the Chiefs:
- OG C.J. Hanson
- OT Ethan Driskell
- DE Cameron Thomas
- DT Marlon Tuipulotu
The Falcons inactive list in Week 3:
- RB Jase McClellan
- OG Jovaughn Gwyn
- OT Brandon Parker
- DT Brandon Dorlus
- DT Ruke Orhorhoro
