Chiefs vs. Falcons odds, picks: Week 3 Sunday Night Football predictions, best bets
One team in the NFL that’s still likely to divide opinions is the Falcons. Atlanta picked up its first win of the season with a game-winning touchdown drive inside the final two minutes of the fourth quarter against the Eagles on Monday night.Thus, it’ll have some momentum heading into its Sunday night game against Kansas City.As for the Chiefs, they’ll have to overcome the loss of its starting running back, Isiah Pacheco, to a fibula injury.With the Chiefs laying 3.5 points on the road, it might take a little while before they can adjust to playing without Pacheco.Despite everything we’ve heard about Kansas City’s plans to push the ball down the field, the results haven’t quite been there.According to Pro Football Reference, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the second-fewest intended air yards per pass attempt (5.1).Mahomes is also getting rid of the ball fairly quickly, ranking second in fewest seconds per dropback pass attempt.Therefore, given those constraints, it’s even more difficult for plays to develop down the field.While last season taught us that you can’t ever write off this Chiefs team, something feels particularly off about them.For example, Kansas City is converting just 29.4% of its third-down opportunities, down from 43.3% in 2023. That third-down conversion rate could dip further now that Pacheco is out with an injury.The Falcons looked determined to continue answering the bell against the Eagles on Monday night in a back-and-forth game with seven lead changes.Atlanta put up 385 yards of offense—159 more than it had in Week 1.Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins looked much better in his second game back from a torn Achilles, completing 20-of-29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns.What was also important was Cousins finishing the game without turning the ball over.If the Falcons can consistently get Cousins playing at a high level, he’ll be the final piece on a team already with a solid foundation.Atlanta has enough qual...