Falcons squander a prime-time chance to show they're a team on the rise in the NFL

ATLANTA (AP) — Three weeks into the season, the Atlanta Falcons had a chance to establish themselves as a team on the rise in the NFL.

In what has been a familiar refrain for this middling franchise, they let it slip away.

Coming off a stunning win at Philadelphia, the Falcons let the two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs escape with a 22-17 victory in a prime-time showdown Sunday.

In the closing minutes, Atlanta (1-2) put together a pair of long drives that reached inside the Chiefs 15 — in position for a game-winning touchdown.

Both times, they failed to convert on fourth down.

“You feel like you snatched defeat from the jaws of victory,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “There’s plenty I can point to that wasn’t good enough to win this game, but still felt like it was right there for us to win and when you don’t do it, it leaves you with a pretty sickening feeling.”

A 58-year-old franchise that has never won a Super Bowl and is mired in a stretch of six straight losing seasons — its worst run since the 1980s — can't afford to squander these sorts of chances.

“We have to figure out ways to be a better football team and be an ascending football team that plays complementary football off of each other," Cousins said. "I certainly feel like we have the pieces we need to be successful, but there’s obviously more out there to go get to play better and be able to win more consistently.”

What’s working

Cousins turned in a solid performance for the second week in a row, especially given the lack of protection he had up front.

He faced almost constant pressure after the Falcons lost a pair of offensive lineman to injuries in the second quarter. Still, Cousins managed to complete 20 of 29 passes for 230 yards, with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Drake London and a 50-yard completion to Kyle Pitts that set up another score.

What needs help

The offensive line was a mess after right tackle Kaleb McGary and center Drew Dalman went down.

Cousins was sacked twice and hit 10 times, including a deflected pass that resulted in an interception. On Atlanta's final possession, the Falcons had third-and-1 at the Chiefs 13 but couldn't pick up the single yard they needed to keep the drive going.

Tyler Allgeier was stuffed for no gain and Bijan Robinson was thrown for a 3-yard loss on fourth down, sealing the Chiefs' victory.

Stock up

WR Darnell Mooney. His career is on the rise again after a couple of down seasons with the Chicago Bears.

A low-key signing by the Falcons in free agency, he has 11 receptions for 154 yards over the past two weeks, giving Cousins another inviting target on the outside along with London.

Stock down

Coach Raheem Morris. A first-year coach is always going to face extra scrutiny, and Morris got plenty of questions about his decision to go for it on fourth-and-5 from the Chiefs 6 with just over 4 minutes remaining.

Granted, the officials appeared to miss a pass interference penalty in the end zone on third down, but Morris still passed on a chip-shot field goal could've made it 22-20. That way, the Falcons would've been in position to win it with another field goal, but Morris didn't want to put the onus on his defense to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

The decision came back to bite the Falcons coach.

“I was in four-down territory for a while there,” Morris said. "We didn’t come here to allow Patrick Mahomes to work his magic. We came here to win the football game on our terms and I lost it, so I’ll take that medicine all day.”

Injuries

McGary (knee) and Dalman (ankle) were sorely missed on the Falcons line.

Morris had no additional updates on their conditions Monday, saying he'll get “a better feel” for when they might return as the week goes on. Storm Norton took over for McGary at right tackle, while Ryan Neuzil filled in at center.

Key numbers

2-9 — The Falcons have converted just 2 of 9 third-down opportunities in each of their first three games, making them a dismal 6 of 27 (22%) on the season.

The lack of effectiveness in those situations was especially telling against Mahomes and the Chiefs, who were able to keep their offense on the field for nearly 35 minutes.

“We've got to go out there and get better,” Morris said. “In order to keep Patrick Mahomes off the field, you’d like to be able to convert some of those. That will help affect some of the possession. That’ll affect some of the plays they get on our defense. That can also affect the scoreboard.”

Next steps

The Falcons have a pair of NFC South home games in the space of five days, beginning Sunday against the New Orleans Saints (2-1). That's followed by a Thursday night contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1), capping a quick stretch that could help determine if the Falcons are contenders or pretenders in 2024.

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Paul Newberry, The Associated Press