Three is the magic number for Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City.
The Chiefs look to begin the season 3-0 for the third year in a row as they continue their quest for a historic third consecutive Super Bowl title. To do so, they’ll have to overcome Kirk Cousins in his third game as the Falcons’ starting quarterback.
Going undefeated so far hasn’t been easy for Kansas City, though. Last weekend against the Bengals, it came down to the wire before Harrison Butker hit the game-winning field goal as time expired to end the dramatic matchup with a 26-25 victory.
While the Chiefs’ home win against the Bengals proved more rush-heavy than their 27-20 win against the Ravens in Week 1, Mahomes still performed well—he went 18-for-25 passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions.
Despite losing to the Steelers in his Falcons debut, Cousins improved significantly in prime time Monday against the Eagles. While he lost nine straight “Monday Night Football” games at one point in his career, the former Vikings quarterback is 3-1 in his last four appearances. Last week, Cousins led a 70-yard game-winning touchdown drive in Philadelphia with 1:05 remaining and finished the contest with 241 yards on 20 completions for two scores and no interceptions.
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Mahomes and the Chiefs last faced Cousins in October 2023 before his season-ending Achilles injury with the Vikings. Though the game was tied at the half, Kansas City held Minnesota to one touchdown in the second frame and came out on top 27-20. Both quarterbacks performed well with near identical stat lines, each collecting just over 280 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Atlanta is 0-1 when taking on Mahomes, last losing to Kansas City 17-14 in Missouri when Matt Ryan was under center for the Falcons. He threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs defense, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win against an Andy Reid team that eventually took a trip to Super Bowl LV.
Cousins has another chance to improve his prime-time record, and Mahomes is seeking a statement win in Atlanta this weekend. The Sporting News has you covered with everything you need to know about Chiefs vs. Falcons, including live scores, updates and highlights from the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football” game.
MORE: Stream Chiefs vs. Falcons live on Fubo (free trial)
Chiefs vs. Falcons score
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Chiefs vs. Falcons live updates, results, highlights from Sunday night football
(All times Eastern)
Pregame
8:17 p.m. — Less than five minutes to go before kickoff! Tune in on NBC now to catch the action and follow along here for updates.
8:10 p.m. — Chiefs receiver Hollywood Brown, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a dislocated SC joint, has taken to social media to wish his teammates, fellow receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, good luck ahead of tonight’s game.
@XavierWorthy @RiceRashee11 My 🍿 Ready Fellas 🚀
— Hollywood Brown (@Primetime_jet) September 22, 2024
8 p.m. — There are 20 minutes to go before kickoff, and Kansas City has confirmed that undrafted rookie fullback Carson Steele is the projected starting running back. The UCLA product has nine carries for 27 yards and one fumble through two appearances.
7:50 p.m. — Keep an eye on Falcons safety Justin Simmons, who faced Mahomes 11 times as a Denver Bronco. Simmons has the most interceptions of anyone against the Chiefs quarterback with five—no other player has done it more than twice.
7:40 p.m. — Sources on the ground in Atlanta are reporting that LT Wanya Morris, who caught a touchdown pass from Mahomes last week, will earn his first start today for the Chiefs.
7:35 p.m. — Among the celebrities attending tonight’s marquee matchup are actor Samuel L. Jackson, competitive eater Joey Chestnut and NBA player Zaccharie Risacher. The Atlanta Hawks 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick, Risacher traded jerseys with LB Lorenzo Carter ahead of the game. However, there has yet to be a Taylor Swift sighting.
ATL jersey swap 🤝 pic.twitter.com/BOBHb8dQT2
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 22, 2024
7:20 p.m. — One hour to go until kickoff! Kansas City is a 3-point favorite to defeat Atlanta with the over-under set at 46.5, according to BetMGM.
7:10 p.m. — Additionally for Atlanta, DB Antonio Hamilton is active tonight and will make his first appearance for the team since joining the Falcons from Arizona. He played for the Chiefs in 2020 before heading to the Cardinals for three years.
7 p.m. — Each team has announced its respective inactives for tonight. There are no surprises on either list, but keep in mind that Kansas City will be without running back Isiah Pacheco who suffered a broken fibula last weekend against the Bengals. He was placed on the IR and will be out for at least four games.
Here’s a look at our inactives for Sunday Night Football against the Falcons ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/d39wu4AkNW
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 22, 2024
Fortunately missing from Atlanta’s inactive list tonight are DTs Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata, both of whom did not practice throughout the week. OT Jake Matthews is also not on the report, which is positive considering he was a limited participant as well.
Full list of inactives for Week 3
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 22, 2024
6:45 p.m. — Last time Mahomes faced off against the Falcons in December 2020, the Chiefs led 17-14 with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Ryan led a potentially-game winning drive all the way to Kansas City’s 21-yard line before resulting to a field goal try to send the game to overtime. Unfortunately, Atlanta’s then-kicker Younghoe Koo missed the 39-yard kick and the Chiefs came out with the win.
YOUNGHOE KOO MISSED!
The Chiefs survive.
(via @NFLBrasil)pic.twitter.com/KKwI62SUu0
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 27, 2020
6:15 p.m. — With just over two hours to go until kickoff in Atlanta, both teams are arriving at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s worth mentioning that tonight the Falcons will induct team owner Arthur Blank into the Ring of Honor, and as a result every fan attending the matchup will receive two hot dogs, two bags of chips and a refillable soda in a souvenir cup featuring Blank—for free.
Just remembered everyone gets (2) free hot dogs, chips and a Coke tonight pic.twitter.com/0kGZzet9Hi
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 22, 2024
Chiefs vs. Falcons start time
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 22
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Falcons is set to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
WEEK 3 FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
What channel is Chiefs vs. Falcons on today?
- TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN 3/5/CTV (Canada)
- Live stream: NBCSports.com, NBC Sports App, Peacock, Fubo (U.S.) | DAZN (Canada)
Chiefs vs. Falcons will be broadcast nationally on NBC. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color commentary) and Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) will be on the call from Atlanta.
A live stream of the game will be available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports App, Peacock and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
