Reasons For Optimism for Falcons in Week 3 Matchup Against Chiefs

Clint Goss

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Reasons For Optimism for Falcons in Week 3 Matchup Against Chiefs image

Fly Falcons Fly!

Is it time to stop riding the high of the Monday Night Football comeback in Philadelphia and get serious about the 3x World Champion Kansas City Chiefs? Sunday Night is almost here, so I guess so.

A Unicorn Sighting?

Let’s start with notes from the Chiefs’ matchups in Week 1 & Week 2:

Thursday Night Football vs. Baltimore Ravens

Result:  27-20 win

It was not due to a lack of Lamar Jackson. 395 total yards for Jackson leads into another obvious game note: TE Isaiah Likely was balling out. 9 receptions, 111 yards, & 1 TD on 12 targets, including a 49-yarder … Yes, looking at you Kyle Pitts. Leave us not as frustrated as Mark Andrews' managers.

Week 2 vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Result: 26-25 win

The Chiefs needed a questionable call to beat QB Joe Burrow & the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead. 19 carries for 90 yards and 5 catches worth of production in Week 2 won’t be healthy enough to play Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (RB1 Isiah Pacheco)

Back to Likely mentioned above, the Tight End prospered again against Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo. 7 catches for 91 yards is nice to see for TE Mike Gesicki, no longer lost in the Miami coaching transition and a stagnant Patriots offense last year.

Pitts is a 4th overall pick. He is in Year 4. He is coming up on contract time before we know it. He is healthy at this point off of injury. Circle this game in red sharpie: it’s time for Pitts to EAT Sunday Night. Breakout now.

Superman's Kryptonite

Patrick Mahomes statistically? A 151-yard passing performance last week and 3 interceptions on the year, is he due? The same can be said for Taylor Swift’s boyfriend (She’s been to both games thus far), having turned in just 1 catch for 5 yards against a secondary not featuring Jessie Bates III & Justin Simmons.

Justin Simmons, you said? He and Mahomes are familiar as old AFC West foes from Simmons’s time in Denver.

With more than 2x the interceptions on Mahomes as the next guy, it’s not like he can look elsewhere either. Even Mel Kiper Jr. can’t “go away” from that Cover 2 pair.

Someone’s Got To Do It

Mahomes can’t even go 17-0. Travis Kelce can’t even go 17-0. Andy Reid & Spagnuolo can’t even go 17-0. The Chiefs have never been unbeatable.

11-6 in 2023.

14-3 in 2022.

12-5 in 2021.

May the cumulative 8-point margin of victory between the 2 Home Games at Arrowhead remind us all: The Chiefs won’t lose at Arrowhead. If they did, it’d be a whopping one.

Looking at this, the Remaining Away Schedule:

Week 3 - Atlanta

Week 4 - Los Angeles Chargers

Week 7 - San Francisco

Week 8 - Las Vegas 

Week 11 - Buffalo 

Week 12 - Carolina

Week 15 - Cleveland

Week 17 - Steelers

Week 18 - Denver

“Anything can happen week to week in the NFL.” Okay, I got that out of the way. Carolina and Denver have no chance. They have reservations for Top-5 picks in April.  That leaves 7 matchups. Do Cleveland or Vegas have the offensive horses to do it either? No. Also, the league is not having Mahomes lose to Deshaun Watson and Gardner Minshew. That leaves 5. There are scripted narratives already written for San Francisco & Buffalo regarding history. Those need no explaining to you if you’ve gone this far.

3 left: Pittsburgh, LA, and Atlanta.

Matt Ryan, Morris, & others spoke on this city getting behind this team. I’ll show you excited.

Beat the Chiefs on Sunday Night in Primetime.

 

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Clint Goss

Clint Goss Photo

Clint Goss is a Falcons and NFL writer, as well as the the on-air co-host of The Falcon Fade radio show at 99.1 WDJY and lead NFL Draft Analyst for Stadium Rant. He is a Rhetoric graduate of Georgia College & State University. A Roswell resident, find Clint at Mercedes-Benz Stadium every Sunday. You can follow Clint actively on Twitter/X @NFLDraftDome.