The Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs face off on Sunday afternoon in the Georgia Dome. Here are photos from the game.
All 3 Phases Factored into Loss
Head coach Dan Quinn said that troubles on offense, defense and special teams played a role in Atlanta's shortcomings against Kansas City. Offensively, two interceptions – both of which were taken to the house by Eric Berry – led to nine point for the Chiefs. Nine missed tackles and coverage lapses hurt the defense. And on special teams, a fake punt that resulted in a 55-yard touchdown gave Kansas City a two-possession lead in the second half.
"We though this game would come down to the end, and that was certainly the case. All three phases were involved in the win last week (vs.) Arizona and were all involved in the loss here," Quinn said. "I asked the team this morning, 'What's the lesson when you go through a difficult loss right there eat the end?' And what came back from a lot of them was details. You never know which play is going to be the one to set it off. It can happen in any quarter in any phase. Those are the ones that kind of keep you up at night after a loss like that."
Atlanta is Ready for Challenge in NFC South
Atlanta's loss and Tampa Bay's win over San Diego put the Falcons and Buccaneers in a tie for first place in the NFC South. Atlanta currently holds an edge, however, thanks to its 3-1 record in the division. Quinn knows playoff races are often tight, hard-fought contests in the NFL, and this year will not be an exception.
"You wouldn't expect it any other way," Quinn said. "This league, we battle. And it's all over; it's all divisions. But knowing that we control what we can – that's a way better feeling than (thinking about), 'If this happens, then this happen.' So we'll take that on ourselves."
The Falcons are Confident They Can Deal with Hardship
When asked if the 2016 Falcons are better equipped to handle adversity than the 2015 club, Quinn was quick to give his response.
"I do feel it's quite a bit different," he said. "The fact that how tight these guys are, how we're able to bounce back – whether it's a loss or an injury – we just go right back to it. This one was hard, there's no doubt about it. But I will say, this one's going to be past us tonight. We'll be right on to the next (game) with LA coming and all the challenges they have. We'll be ready to play."
