Sept. 23 (UPI) – Linebacker Nick Bolton darted through a gap and stopped Bijan Robinson in the backfield on fourth down, stopping an Atlanta Falcons drive in the red zone and securing a 3-0 comeback victory for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bolton’s key stop came with 51 seconds left in Sunday’s 22-17 win in Atlanta. The fourth-year defenseman made eight total tackles, including three for loss. The Chiefs trailed 14-7 midway through the second quarter but scored 15 straight points to steal the Falcons’ momentum.
“Coach made a great decision,” Bolton told reporters. “He put the big defensive players in there. The guys ran vertically and I just fired.”
The Chiefs, who only took the lead in the second half, outgained the Falcons 345 to 311 yards, including 128 to 82 in the running game. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 26 of 39 passes for 217 yards, scoring two touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Rashee Rice caught 12 passes for 110 yards and scored a touchdown, which is a career high.
“We didn’t play well in all three games,” Mahomes said of the Chiefs. “We were able to win. That speaks to the character of the team, the determination and how we’ve handled these situations before.”
The Chiefs held Robinson to just 31 yards on 16 carries (1.9 yards per attempt). Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 20 of 29 passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Falcons.
“Disappointing night,” said Cousins. “It felt like we snatched defeat from the grasp of victory, that’s how it felt.”
Cousins combined with wide receiver Drake London for a 14-yard touchdown on the game’s first drive to give the Falcons their first advantage. The Chiefs tied the game when Mahomes threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rice 3:15 into the second quarter.
Robinson finished the next drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Kicker Harrison Butker finished the Chiefs’ next two drives with field goals, making the score 14-13 at halftime.
Butker then completed a 21-yard pass on the first drive of the second half to give the Chiefs their first lead. Mahomes extended the Chiefs’ offense later in the third quarter with a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster that gave the Chiefs a 22-14 lead.
Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo kicked a 54-yard field goal 2:09 into the fourth quarter, scoring the game’s final points. The Falcons then forced the Chiefs to punt, but their offense failed to capitalize on a fourth-down opportunity with 4:04 left. The Chiefs then punted again, giving the Falcons one last chance to catch up.
Cousins led the offense to the 16-yard line. He then handed the ball off to Robinson on a 4th-and-1 play, but Bolton broke through the offensive line and hit Robinson in the backfield to secure the win.
“I was proud of our defense and how they stepped up in the third and fourth quarters and the second half,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “They did a really good job.”
The Chiefs (3-0) face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EDT in Inglewood, Calif. The Falcons (1-2) host the New Orleans Saints (2-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
