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Who plays on Sunday Night Football? Breaking down Week 3 matchup

jacob camenker, usa today
·4 min read

NBC featured a matchup between two up-and-coming quarterbacks in Week 2 of its "Sunday Night Football" schedule. Now, it will turn back to a more proven duo in a battle of potential playoff contenders.

The Kansas City Chiefs are hitting the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a battle between teams trending in opposite directions to start the season.

The Chiefs have earned two close victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. Each contest came down to its final play, with Isaiah Likely's toe denying Baltimore a chance to tie Kansas City at the end of regulation in Week 1 and Harrison Butker drilling a 51-yard field goal in Week 2 to give the Chiefs a one-point win over the Bengals.

NFL: Chiefs show gap between them and other contenders is still quite large

The Falcons are also coming off a nail-biting win, as they earned a last-minute victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football" in Week 2. Kirk Cousins continues to make strides in his return from a torn Achilles, and his ability to connect with Drake London and Darnell Mooney on the final drive should inspire hope among the Atlanta faithful as the team looks to pull off a second consecutive upset.

Here's everything to know about the "Sunday Night Football" matchup for Week 3.

Who plays on Sunday Night Football tonight?

The Falcons (1-1) are hosting the Chiefs (2-0) in NBC's third official "Sunday Night Football" broadcast of the season. Kansas City enters the game favored to win, but Atlanta won't be a pushover, as it showed during its 22-21 victory over Philadelphia on the road last week.

The Chiefs enter Week 3 dealing with some concerns at running back. Starter Isiah Pacheco was placed on IR after suffering a fractured fibula, while normal backup Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on the NFI list. That will leave Samaje Perine and Carson Steele as the top runners, so quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be relied on to carry the offense.

CHIEFS RB DEPTH CHART: How Isiah Pacheco injury, Kareem Hunt visit could impact KC backfield

Mahomes hasn't been as spectacular at the start of the season as fans are accustomed to seeing. He has tossed just three touchdowns compared to three interceptions across two games, and his 91.9 passer rating and 47.1 QBR ranks 15th and 19th in the NFL, respectively. That will do little to comfort the Falcons though, as the two-time MVP is bound to round into form eventually, especially with Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, and Xavier Worthy at his disposal.

That said, the biggest advantage the Chiefs hold over the Falcons may come on defense. Chris Jones figures to get solid interior pressure on Cousins which could pose problems for the 36-year-old quarterback. He doesn't appear to have his full range of mobility as he recovers from a torn Achilles, so he might not be able to scramble away from pressure up the middle as easily as usual.

The Eagles couldn't take advantage of Cousins' weakness; the Chiefs are better positioned to do so.

The good news for Falcons fans is that Cousins started to gel with his teammates Drake London and Darnell Mooney, so the passing game should only improve as he settles into Zac Robinson's offense. Still, the Falcons figure to rely more on Bijan Robinson to catalyze their offense in Week 3, as the Chiefs are allowing 129.5 rushing yards per game to begin the season.

The Chiefs may be rightly favored, but they certainly can't write off the Falcons as Atlanta looks to keep pace with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a surprisingly competitive NFC South race.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Sunday, Sept. 22

  • Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

The Falcons vs. Chiefs game is set to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET. That will be the start time for most of NBC's "Sunday Night Football" broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season.

NBC will also begin showing its pregame show –"Football Night In America" – at 7 p.m. ET. Maria Taylor will host that program alongside a host of NBC talents, including Jason Garrett, Tony Dungy, Devin McCourty and Matthew Berry.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

What channel is Sunday Night Football on tonight?

"Sunday Night Football" will air on NBC in 2024, just as it has since the network bought the rights to the program in 2006.

Cord-cutters will still be able to catch the game using NBC's streaming service, Peacock, or with Fubo, which comes with a free trial.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who plays on Sunday Night Football? Game, start time for Week 3