The Chiefs offense wasn’t on the field for several of the biggest plays of Sunday’s game against the Falcons and that worked out just fine for Kansas City.
Eric Berry returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half to put the Chiefs in the lead and he returned an interception on a two-point conversion for two more points late that put them back in the lead late in the fourth quarter. Alex Smith completed passes to Travis Kelce and Albert Wilson for first downs on the ensuing drive and the Falcons couldn’t stop the clock on what ended as a 29-28 Kansas City win.
Berry’s second big play came just after the Falcons erased what had been a 27-16 Chiefs lead on the back of two fourth quarter touchdowns. The second came on a five-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson as Julio Jones battled an apparent lower body injury on the sideline, but the attempt to extend the lead flopped when Berry jumped a route and took it to the house for the second time on the day. It’s the first time an interception has been returned for two points since the league began allowing it last year.
Wilson added another big play with a 55-yard run for a touchdown on a third quarter fake punt that caught the Falcons totally unaware. That was the biggest play from scrimmage for the Chiefs and Kelce’s 140 receiving yards provided much of the heavy lifting on offense for Kansas City on the day. Alex Smith completed 14 straight passes at one point and finished the day 21-of-25 for 270 yards.
Jones nearly matched Kelce as he caught seven passes for 113 yards before leaving the proceedings and the Falcons were able to roll up 418 yards overall, but three trips into the red zone that ended without points will sting as the Falcons consider their home loss. It drops them to 7-5 on the year and opens the door for the Buccaneers to join them on the top rung in the division if they win in San Diego later on Sunday.
The good news for the Falcons is that the Rams and 49ers are next on the schedule. The Chiefs will have a stiffer test in Week 14 when they host the Raiders in a Thursday night game that will weigh heavily in figuring out who wins the AFC West this year.