ATLANTA — Patrick Mahomes completed 22 of 35 passes for 348 yards and five touchdowns to lead the visiting Kansas City Chiefs to a 35-13 victory on Sunday over the reeling Atlanta Falcons.
Making his first start in place of the injured Kenneth Walker III, rookie running back Emmett Johnson caught two touchdown passes and rushed for 101 yards as the Chiefs (7-2) piled up 461 total yards.
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 286 yards and an interception for Atlanta (3-7), which lost its third straight game and its fifth in six tries. Bijan Robinson rushed for 71 yards and the Falcons’ only touchdown.
Trailing 14-3, Atlanta was turned away on downs on its second drive of the second half. Less than two minutes later, Mahomes threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Cyrus Allen — the first of the rookie wide receiver’s career — to give Kansas City an 18-point lead with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter.
After the next Atlanta drive ended with Jake Bailey’s seventh punt, Mahomes launched a 50-yard pass to Rashee Rice before connecting with Johnson for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 28-3 with 9:55 left in the fourth.
The Falcons finally found the end zone on their next drive. Penix’s 37-yard pass to Jahan Dotson helped set up Robinson’s 3-yard rushing score.
Atlanta’s Chris Blair then recovered the league’s first successful onside kick this season and the Falcons trimmed the deficit to 28-13 on Jake Moody’s 38-yard field goal.
Mahomes put the finishing touches on the comfortable win as he hit Andrew Armstrong for a 43-yard score with 4:26 left.
Penix was intercepted in the Kansas City end zone by Nohl Williams on the Falcons’ penultimate drive.
Kansas City went 80 yards in 10 plays on its opening possession and took a 7-0 lead on Mahomes’ 12-yard touchdown pass to Johnson.
Atlanta punted on its first four drives and didn’t pick up a first down until Robinson’s 17-yard rush with 13:28 left in the first half.
The Falcons reached the Chiefs’ 5-yard line, but a holding penalty and a sack forced them to settle for Moody’s 28-yard field goal.
Harrison Butker made a 41-yard field goal that seemingly gave the Chiefs a 13-3 lead, but Atlanta’s Mike Ford Jr. jumped offsides on fourth-and-2 to give Kansas City a first down.
Mahomes took advantage on the ensuing play as he hit Josh Downs for an 18-yard touchdown to make it 14-3 with 24 seconds left in the first half.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
