The Kansas City Chiefs came into “Sunday Night Football” hoping to extend their record to 3-0 as they continue their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl victory. They got the job done with a 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

First quarter

The Chiefs won the opening coin toss, deferring the decision of possession to the second half. Atlanta opened with the ball, starting from the 30-yard line after a touchback.

The Falcons attacked the Chiefs’ defense early with play-action passes; back-to-back completions to wide receiver Darnell Mooney gained 35 yards and were set up by fake handoffs. The Chiefs’ defense stifled the rushes, but Falcons’ quarterback Kirk Cousins diced up the coverage into the red zone.

On third down, he found wide receiver Drake London wide open in the end zone. That gave Atlanta an early 7-0 lead.

The Chiefs’ offense got going after bad field position, with help from the rookies: wide receiver Xavier Worthy moved the chains one time, then running back Carson Steele another. Second-year wideout Rashee Rice took over to gain the next two first downs, including a close call on fourth and short in Atlanta territory.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes came out firing from the break for review, looking for Worthy in the end zone — but the pass was broken up. It turned into third down quickly, but Rice came open for another first down. It was an inaccurate throw he caught, which foreshadowed the end of the drive: Mahomes’ attempt to score was intercepted by Falcons’ safety Justin Simmons, the sixth time he has intercepted the Chiefs’ signal caller.

To make up for Mahomes’ fourth interception of the season, the Chiefs’ defense stepped up and forced a quick punt on the next drive. Defensive end George Karlaftis made a tackle for loss on first down, then helped disrupt Cousins’ dropback on third down.

Second quarter

The Chiefs put together another methodical drive in their second chance, with Rice and running back Samaje Perine moving the chains into Atlanta’s side of the field. The offense did settle into third down and long, but Mahomes broke the pocket and made a throw to the sideline to push the possession into the red zone.

Mahomes continued leaning on Rice, looking his way on third down with sights on the goal line. He scored, tying the game at 7-7.

The Chiefs’ defense came out and got a third-down stop, but defensive tackle Chris Jones drew a flag for roughing the passer that extended the possession near midfield. That set up a big play for the Falcons, finding tight end Kyle Pitts streaking down the field past safety Justin Reid. Running back Bijan Robinson punched it in from there, giving Atlanta a 14-7 advantage.

With a seven minutes left in the first half, the Chiefs got their next drive going with the run game. The team set up in field goal position, and stalled — so kicker Harrison Butker made the long kick to tighten the score. The Falcons still led 14-10.

In the two-minute drill, the Falcons went to work, but defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah blew up their attempt to score before halftime quickly. On second down, he nailed Cousins from the blind side, causing a fumble that was eventually pushed out of bounds. The Chiefs got off the field on third down the next play, giving possession back to Mahomes with just over 90 seconds in the second quarter.

Kansas City couldn’t produce anything with their scoring opportunity; on third down, a throw to Rice went off his hands and nearly into the intercepting hands of Falcons’ safety Jessie Bates. The Chiefs had to punt.

The Chiefs’ defense flipped the script quickly, giving the ball right back to Mahomes on an interception by safety Chamarri Conner. Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton hit Cousins as he threw, then Conner handed off to cornerback Jaylen Watson so he could advance to the Falcons’ 34-yard line.

With 30 seconds left, the Chiefs could not take advantage of the turnover for six points. Two attempts down the field fell incomplete, and the team settled for another field goal. The convert kick squeezed Atlanta’s lead to 14-13. That led into the halftime break.

Third quarter

The Chiefs’ offense started the second half quickly getting over midfield, still leaning on catch and runs by Rashee Rice. He moved the chains twice to put the Chiefs close to the Falcons’ 35-yard line, then tight end Travis Kelce ran across the field for a big completion.

In the red zone, Steele toted the rock twice to advance inside the five-yard line, then was stuffed on back-to-back plays to set up third and goal. Mahomes couldn’t find an open target on his attempt, leading to a desperate throw over everyone’s heads as he was hit. The Chiefs settled for the field goal once more, taking the lead 16-14 early in the third quarter.

With momentum from the last drives of the first half, the Chiefs’ defense came out attacking Atlanta’s offense. The aggression set up third down, and Cousins’ attempt to step up through pressure was denied by defensive tackle Mike Pennel, who tripped him up from the turf. The Falcons were forced to punt.

Kansas City picked up where they left off on offense, with Rice extending a career day in production: he gained 27 yards on one play that advanced into Falcons’ territory. Mahomes took the ball himself a few snaps later, pushing the drive into the red zone after a 15-yard scramble.

From the 10-yard line, a pass to Rice was caught and corralled for negative yardage, and he stayed down after the play. On the ensuing third down, Mahomes beat the blitz with a quick throw to wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, and he finished the play in the end zone. The Chiefs suddenly led 22-14 with one minute left in the third quarter after a missed point after.

With an eight-point lead to defend, linebacker Nick Bolton shot through the line and made a tackle for loss on a first down the next drive. Then, Robinson found space on a screen pass, working towards midfield as the third period ended.

Fourth quarter

The Chiefs continued stuffing the run, forcing the Falcons into third down — but Cousins found a completion this time with Conner trailing in man coverage. The defense just settled in again, and got through on the next third down to force a drive-stalling incompletion. Atlanta was able to convert the long kick, eating into the Chiefs’ 22-17 lead.

With a chance to close out the game with a touchdown, the Chiefs’ offense fell flat on its face. The three and out was punctuated with a throw to Kelce being broken up by the oncoming Bates. The Chiefs gave the Falcons the ball right back.

From their own 11-yard line, Atlanta worked itself out of bad field position, passing midfield after a big completion to London where linebacker Drue Tranquill was just late to sack Cousins. That led to another big play by Atlanta, setting up just outside the red zone.

The Chiefs forced fourth down with a strong run stuff, but Atlanta quickly lined up and converted the ensuing fourth down with a short pass. The defense kept holding up the run, and forced another third down inside the 10-yard line. That play ended in an incomplete pass; safety Bryan Cook broke up the attempt.

On fourth down, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent the blitz after Cousins again, and it forced an awkward pass that fell short of the intended receiver. The Chiefs stood their ground, giving the offense possession with four minutes left.

Mahomes and company were unable to finish off the drive, and failed to even move the chains. A mistake by Worthy on his third-down route led to an incompletion, and gave Atlanta possession with just over two minutes to go.

The Falcons pushed to the Chiefs’ 48-yard line with help from two defensive penalties: one on Conner, another on McDuffie for pass interference. That was the last play before the two-minute warning.

A horse-collar tackle by cornerback Jaylen Watson gave the Falcons another free set of downs, but cornerback Nazeeh Johnson followed it up by blowing up a short pass on the next play. For second and long, Conner closed on a pass over the middle, but missed the tackle, allowing London to escape for a strong gain.

It was short of the sticks, and the Chiefs’ defense got a run stop on third down. The Falcons went for it on fourth and inches, but an outside run attempt was stuffed by linebacker Nick Bolton. The leader of the defense fought through injuries suffered during the game to seal the win.

After a few kneeldowns, the Chiefs clinched the 22-17 win and improved their season record to 3-0.

Injuries

Wide receiver Rashee Rice stayed down after a catch in the third quarter; he was tackled awkwardly.

Linebacker Nick Bolton appeared to suffer a lower-back injury in the second half, but played through it.

Special Teams

Kicker Harrison Butker made his first point-after attempt in the second quarter. He then made a 53-yard attempt in the second quarter.

Butker made two other field goals in the game, then missed his second point-after attempt late in the third quarter.

Punter Matt Araiza had three punts, one landing inside the 20-yard line.

Wide receiver Mecole Hardman returned his first kick for 19 yards, then gained 32 yards on the second one. His first punt for 12 yards in the first quarter.

Linebacker Leo Chenal was flagged for holding on the Chiefs’ first kick return.

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