The Atlanta Falcons had a great opportunity to hand the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season on Sunday Night Football, but they came up just short after stalling out on their final drive of the game.
With less than a minute on the clock, the Falcons had the ball in the red zone, trailing by five. On fourth-and-inches, Kirk Cousins's lack of mobility was put on display, as the team opted to hand the ball to Bijan Robinson on the outside rather than tuck it in and try to rush it up the gut.
It seemed like a perfect opportunity for a quarterback sneak, needing less than two feet to reach the first-down marker. Instead, Robinson was swallowed up in the backfield after Kansas City's defensive line won the battle up front.
The Chiefs' defense made a huge stop, but football fans on social media were left scratching their heads over why the Falcons opted to run to the outside when they only needed a short gain.
The #Falcons get stuffed on 4th-and-inches and the #Chiefs are going to escape with a win and a 3-0 record.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 23, 2024
Nick Bolton with the stop of Bijan Robinson.pic.twitter.com/r6VWHX0nBp
Why go east-west on this team instead of north-south
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) September 23, 2024
Atlanta coaching staff threw this game away with both hands. Just awful.
— Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) September 23, 2024
That wasn’t it. Lol
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 23, 2024
I don't love that call. 4th and inches, I'm running north-south.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 23, 2024
There is no way with the game on the line you think that is your best play call.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) September 23, 2024
What the hell was that last play call for the Falcons???
— Tom Grossi (@tomgrossicomedy) September 23, 2024
If you’re facing a 4th-and-1 and you call a run play that runs toward the sideline, you are not qualified for being a head coach in the NFL.
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) September 23, 2024
Man, if Cousins can’t sneak it, put Allgeier or Bijan in a wildcat and simplify things. What a bad play call
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) September 23, 2024
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Falcons Make Questionable Final Play Call During Week 3 Loss to Chiefs.
