Whereas Bolton’s game-winning play was unbelievable, the choice by the Falcons was curious, to say the least. Needing just a few inches to achieve a brand new set of downs and probably 4 pictures on the endzone, Atlanta outsmarted itself by calling a lateral run, which went nowhere.
Nonetheless, the Falcons might have misplaced the sport throughout their earlier possession, which additionally ended on downs, this time on the Chiefs’ six-yard line. Trailing by the identical rating, 22-17, with 4:53 left within the fourth quarter, Atlanta handed on a area objective earlier than turning the ball over after failing to transform on fourth-and-5.
That call left the Falcons with no alternative however to chase factors on their remaining drive. Hindsight is 20/20, however had Atlanta merely kicked the simple area objective across the five-minute mark, it could have solely wanted three factors to win as an alternative of six.
Every week after recording a miraculous late-game win in Week 2 over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Falcons returned to earth, falling to 1-2. Conversely, the Chiefs are driving excessive, having pulled off one other victory, which might have simply as simply been a loss.
Kansas Metropolis survived a fourth-quarter comeback in a season-opening 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens earlier than rallying late to sneak previous the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, 26-25. The Chiefs might have had luck on their aspect in opposition to the Falcons, however they made performs on either side of the ball when wanted.
In addition to Bolton’s game-winning cease, Kansas Metropolis’s protection was stable total. The unit compelled one turnover, resulting in a area objective earlier than halftime, whereas holding Atlanta to solely three second-half factors.
In the meantime, the Chiefs’ offense did sufficient to win. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 26-of-39 for 217 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, whereas wideout Rashee Rice posted a profession outing, recording 110 yards off 12 receptions (9.2 YPA).
