5 Brutal Takeaways From Atlanta Falcons Loss to Kansas City Chiefs

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons lost their third straight game, and the fifth of their last six, on Sunday. They fell to the Chiefs 35-13, marking the third double-digit loss.

The offense never found its groove, and the Chiefs ran away with the game. Falcons OnSI put together some quick takeaways from the loss.

Cannot Overcome Slow Start on Offense

The Falcons had a start to forget on offense, surrendering four consecutive three-and-outs to begin the game, marking their worst start in 26 years. Michael Penix Jr. faced pressure on several dropbacks and had a few misfires that put the Falcons behind the chains early. The offense faced third-down distances of 10, 10, 17, and 4 yards.

But the biggest issue was that Bijan Robinson only touched the ball three times over those four possessions. Unsurprisingly, the star running back snapped the drought on the fifth drive with a 17-yard rush that set up the Falcons’ first points of the game.

The Falcons seemed to find some rhythm on that possession, but they quickly went back to another three-and-out, their fifth of the first half. Robinson finished the half with only eight touches.

The second half didn’t go much differently, and the Falcons’ drives ended in a punt, turnover on downs, punt, and punt before finally finding the end zone down 28-3 with 8:15 left.

Penix never got comfortable, and he and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees are struggling to find success. Since his outstanding performance against the 49ers, the offense has averaged a dreadful 10.0 points per game.

Defense Couldn’t Hold on Forever

With the Falcons’ offense struggling to find any semblance of rhythm, the defense was forced into some unfortunate possessions. They started slowly, too, allowing an easy touchdown drive to begin the game, but locked the Chiefs up for much of the game.

The defense just didn’t get any help, and eventually Patrick Mahomes broke through again. After that opening drive score, both of his subsequent touchdown throws came after shortcomings from another unit: the first on an offside negated a field goal and the second after a failed fourth-down conversion at midfield.

Mahomes’ fourth touchdown came in the fourth quarter, with the game firmly in hand and the Falcons’ defense reeling. The fifth came on a scramble drill.

The Falcons held the Chiefs' rushing attack (without Kenneth Walker III) to 122 yards, but Mahomes would finish with 348 yards and five touchdowns – the first time he hit that mark since 2022.

Harold Perkins Jr. Continues to Shine

The rookie linebacker was making plays all over the field on Sunday. He finished with five tackles and a tackle for loss, but he was effective in both coverage and as a pass rusher. Perkins delivered big hits and was constantly finding himself around the football.

He has taken full advantage of Divine Deablo’s absence and is pushing for the staff to find ways to keep him on the field once the veteran is back healthy.

Penix Misfires Under Pressure

Michael Penix Jr. continued to struggle when the defense applied pressure. He was sacked three times and kept accelerating his progressions to check down and avoid getting hit. Even without a blitz, the Chiefs sent simulated pressure that still got Penix off his spot and sped him up. He struggled for most of the game, completing 23-of-43 passes for 286 yards (most of which came with the game out of reach) and an interception.

Until he can find his way under pressure, the Falcons’ offense will keep struggling.

Self-inflicted Errors Continue to Pile Up

A week after 12 penalties crushed the Falcons in Madrid, some ill-timed infractions came back to bite them in Atlanta. They committed nine penalties for 65 yards, but seven came on offense, and both defensive penalties extended drives that ended in touchdowns.

The worst of which was an offsides penalty that turned a field goal try into a touchdown at the end of the first half. Kansas City took a 14-3 lead into the locker room instead of 10-3, and received the ball to start the second half.

Jawaan Taylor and Jake Matthews were both flagged several times for false starts or holds that snuffed out offensive possessions.

But beyond the penalties, the Falcons turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter. For the second week in a row, the Falcons could not get out of their own way.

How Did the Newcomers Do?

Corey Levin took over for Ryan Neuzil at center and had one bad snap exchange that ended in a fumble (Penix jumped on it), but it snuffed out a potential touchdown opportunity. The offensive line did not have its best day, allowing three sacks and rushing for 100 yards.

New kicker Jake Moody connected on both field-goal attempts from 28 and 38 yards, but he nailed an onside kick in the fourth quarter to give the Falcons new life. He put the football right in the outstretched arms of Chris Blair, who toe-tapped on the sideline to steal a possession. That play capped a strong afternoon for the Falcons’ special teams.

Tommy Rees also made his first appearance on the sideline instead of in the booth this season. He was seen sitting with Penix during defensive possessions, but the offensive issues persisted, and his unit finished with five three-and-outs.

DeMarcco Hellams stepped in for recently traded Jessie Bates III at safety and was a big winner in this game. His first start since 2023 was outstanding, and he finished with a game-high 11 tackles.

Season Feels Lost – Even It Technically Isn’t

The Falcons lost the fifth of their last six games heading into their bye week, and the schedule gets no easier after next Sunday. Atlanta will face the Vikings, Lions, and Browns before it finally eases up a bit, with winnable games against the Commanders and NFC South opponents to end the season.

At 3-7, any hope of their first winning season since 2017 feels bleak, but they are still alive in the woeful NFC South. They trail the first-place Panthers by one win, don’t hold the tiebreaker, but are still unbelievably alive in that race.

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