Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds from Week 16 vs. Chiefs
Atlanta Falcons studs and duds from a loss to the Chiefs in Week 16.
The Atlanta Falcons entered Week 16 looking to put together somewhat of a positive finish to the 2020 campaign after going through a rough stretch in the last handful of weeks.
The Falcons, who entered Week 16 having lost four of their last five games, would have a really tough test on the road in the second-to-last game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.
In the first game of two road contests to round out the year, Atlanta hit the road to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
In the game, the Falcons kept themselves in the game against one of the top teams in the NFL for a majority of the game and even had a chance to force overtime late, but fell on the road to the Chiefs by a score of 17-14.
In the first half, Atlanta grabbed the first lead of the game in the second quarter after the two teams went scoreless in the opening frame of the matchup. The Falcons scored first in the second quarter, notching a touchdown to grab a 7-0 lead. The Chiefs answered with a touchdown of their own with a few minutes remaining in the first half to even things up at 7-7 going into halftime.
To round out the game in the second half, the Falcons and Chiefs were once again scoreless in the opening quarter of a half, with all of the second-half scoring coming in the final frame. Atlanta was able to stay in it long enough, even grabbing a four-point lead with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter, but Kansas City scored late touchdown to jump out in front and a late field goal attempt to tie the game was missed resulting in Atlanta dropping the game by three.
With the contest between the Falcons and Chiefs in the books, let’s go back and come up with some studs and duds that appeared throughout the game.
Stud: Strong start in the opening half
The Falcons surprised a lot of people in the first half of the game against the defending Super Bowl champions by getting off to a strong start and holding the Chiefs in check offensively which is a tough thing to accomplish.
After getting out to a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, Atlanta carried a seven-point lead and held Kansas City scoreless up until there was just a few minutes remaining in the second quarter. Holding an offense like the Chiefs in check, for the most part, is an impressive accomplishment in itself.
Atlanta held Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense to just 14 completions for 133 yards and one touchdown through the air, while also recording one interception along the way. On the ground, the Falcons ran for just 54 yards on 10 carries.
Dud: Not taking advantage of interceptions
The good thing for Atlanta was it was able to notch a few turnovers and interceptions against Kansas City, but the Falcons failed to make the most of those opportunities and turn those turnovers into points.
Overall, the Falcons managed to force the Chiefs into two turnovers, both being interceptions. They also had a chance late in the game to seal the victory but dropped an interception out of the hands of Patrick Mahomes.
The first interception for Atlanta was hauled in by Keanu Neal, which was on a trick play from Kansas City in the first half. That interception and turnover resulted in no points on the other end for the Falcons.
The second interception was by Foyesade Oluokun in the third quarter, which was returned 51 yards and looked to be a potential pick-six, only to be catch from behind by the Chiefs and once again resulting in Atlanta not converting on that turnover opportunity.
When a team like Kansas City hands you extra opportunities like what took place on Sunday, you have to take advantage of that. The Falcons, however, did not.