Chiefs' Ability to 'Trust the Work' on Defense Paved Way for Week 3 Win

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense stepped up in Sunday's win over the Atlanta Falcons, and the entire team had faith in it to do so.

Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill (23) and linebacker Nick Bolton (32) react after the Chiefs stopped the Atlanta Falcons on fourth down during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Salt and pepper. Peanut butter and jelly. The Kansas City Chiefs and finding ways to win close games.

Week 3's triumph over the Atlanta Falcons was anything but comfortable, although Steve Spagnuolo's defense helped secure a victory in the end. After giving up a touchdown on half of the home team's opening possessions, no such scores were surrendered the rest of the way. On Atlanta's final five drives (excluding an end-of-half play), they mustered just a field goal.

It wasn't for a lack of opportunities, as the Falcons got down the field multiple times but opted for an aggressive plan. They also needed a touchdown on their final possession, leading to a fourth-and-inches play from the red zone. Thanks to a tremendous push up front and linebacker Nick Bolton sniffing out a Bijan Robinson carry, the Chiefs locked down their third win in as many weeks.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is grateful to have such a good defense.

“Yeah, great play,” Mahomes said. “I mean, I think it was very similar – he (Bolton) talked about it was very similar to the play they ran on the goal line. He recognized it, shot a shot and made a play. The defense has made a couple of those plays. We've got to be better offensively at converting some first downs and running the clock out. But it helps when you have a defense that's able to have been in those moments before and make those big plays. It's a team game, and we're winning games, and I feel like we're going to start getting better and better each and every week.”

Chiefs get the stop on fourth down!!!!

📺: #KCvsATL on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/5aUfSMdG6o

— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2024

Late on Sunday night, a couple of Kansas City defenders indicated that they identified the Falcons' "check" at the line of scrimmage. That allowed everyone to stay in attack mode, stopping the outside run before it even began. Bolton believes an unwavering trust in their preparation is what leads to everyone routinely rising up in clutch moments.

“Yeah, you’ve got faith in your work man,” Bolton said. “We've been talking all week, we kind of go late in the game, situational football. We pride ourselves on that, and I'm trying to be prepared – two minutes, four minutes, whatever we have – go out there and execute it. I'm trying to always win. Just trust the work, trust the things you do throughout the week, trust the keys, trust everything you've been putting into training camp and it just came out and we're kind of worked in our favor today.”

In the first half, the Falcons averaged 6.7 yards per play and faced just two third downs. While the Chiefs did a good job of stopping the run (2.36 yards per carry in the first 30 minutes), quarterback Kirk Cousins averaged over 11 yards per pass attempt. The efficiency of the run game trended back in the other direction in the second half, although Atlanta's overall yards per play dropped to 4.8. The key was timely dominance for the Chiefs' defense, most notably in third downs (1-for-7).

This group isn't without its shortcomings. Production from the defensive ends has been underwhelming, and the cornerback spot remains a bit of a mystery behind Trent McDuffie. In the post-L'Jarius Sneed era, there's an adjustment period Kansas City is still going through. But with plenty of championship DNA still leftover from last season, the confidence is unwavering.

“We're tough,” defensive end George Karlaftis said. “We all play together. We know that. We're tough to beat.”

Read More: Chiefs Not Surprised at Carson Steele, Samaje Perine's Success Against Falcons