With 56 seconds left of their Sunday evening sport towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, the Atlanta Falcons had fourth-and-1 from the Kansas Metropolis 13-yard line. The rating was 22-17 in Kansas Metropolis’s favor, so a subject aim wasn’t an possibility. The Falcons needed to convert that fourth down and attempt to get in the long run zone. They’d already been snubbed in the long run zone by referee Tra Blake and his officiating crew when that crew missed an apparent go interference dedicated by security Bryan Prepare dinner on tight finish Kyle Pitts.
Referee Tra Blake stated postgame within the pool report that this play didn’t rise to the extent of go interference. Possibly Tra Blake and his crew had been catching up on “Presumed Harmless.” pic.twitter.com/MEzeH1rFK6
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 23, 2024
That was on third-and-five from the Kansas Metropolis six-yard line, and when Kirk Cousins underthrew receiver Drake London on the subsequent play, Atlanta gave the ball over on downs.
So, on their subsequent drive, the Falcons knew they needed to hit it laborious in the event that they wished to win.
They usually had the play to do it. On the play earlier than the ultimate Atlanta play in query, working again Tyler Allgeier ran up the center for no achieve, however the name this time was for working again Bijan Robinson to take it up the center once more.
That was the decision… after which it wasn’t, based mostly on what the Falcons noticed from Kansas Metropolis’s stacked line of defense.
“We had a name to go downhill,” Robinson stated postgame. “It appeared prefer it was going to be totally different, so we modified the play. After we modified the play, we needed to account for a few guys. No. 32 [Bolton] got here free proper up the center, so it was powerful. Once I get the ball, I’ve to attempt to decide proper now. He got here out and tried to change and go and that was my line, so it was laborious for me. Clearly, I’m going to attempt to do higher to interrupt that sort out and make that play whatever the state of affairs.”
Atlanta’s failure to transform on this case was much less about Robinson not making a play, and way more about Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton making the play of the sport with the sort out that stopped Robinson quick.
Bolton noticed sufficient on Robinson’s 1-yard landing run with 6:44 left within the first half to know to regulate this time round. Atlanta was going old-school T-Formation within the pink zone with tight finish Charlie Woerner because the third man within the backfield, and it labored. Bolton was late to the hole, and received labored over.
Nick Bolton referred to Bijan Robinson’s landing run because the play he was considering of on the ultimate play. Atlanta went old-school T-Formation with TE Charlie Woerner as the additional blocker, and Bolton could not fairly get there. pic.twitter.com/8JWEdEpttE
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 23, 2024
This time, Bolton wasn’t going to let that occur.
Now, the ultimate play. The Falcons go old-school pro-set (!), and each Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal stated postgame that they knew precisely what was coming based mostly on the blocks. Bolton was going to shoot his shot it doesn’t matter what, and that is the way it ended. pic.twitter.com/8CdBQnZHHM
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 23, 2024
“Yeah, within the pink zone, they form of ran one thing comparable, however they’d three backs – [they] used a good finish as a full blocker,” Bolton recalled. “My lineman most likely ought to have been cheated over just a bit bit extra and doubtless hung up with me – most likely would have had me and Leo [Chenal] hitting him on the aim line and doubtless pushed him again. I got here up with the same play sort of sample, besides they solely had two backs as a substitute of three. So, I form of noticed that [and] cheated over somewhat bit. It’s like a rule across the locker room man — if a good finish is obstructing 54, he’s going to set the sting for you. So, I noticed Leo [Chenal] set the sting and I simply form of went off his butt and made the play.”
Bolton stated that he did acknowledge the play pre-snap.
“Oh, yeah. Coach had an incredible name, put the massive D-linemen in there, these guys received vertical, and I simply shot my gun.”
This time, Allgeier was Robinson’s lead blocker, and as Allgeier labored exterior the tackles, Bolton knew he wanted to shoot his shot.
Linebacker Leo Chenal additionally knew what was coming.
“They noticed us all down and form of loading up the field, and so they stated ‘Test, test’. We knew that they had been alerting to an outdoor perimeter run, and Nick simply ran it completely and took a shot on the play.”
It’s not an enormous shock that Bolton made the play. Throughout Tremendous Bowl LVIII week in Las Vegas, each Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo stated that Bolton is the man who makes the Chiefs protection go and holds all of it collectively.
And when the Chiefs wanted him essentially the most, Bolton got here by as was anticipated of him.
Even Patrick Mahomes was impressed.
“Yeah, nice play,” the quarterback stated. “I imply, I feel it was very comparable – [Bolton] talked about it was similar to the play they ran on the aim line. He acknowledged it, shot a shot and made a play. The protection has made a few these performs. We’ve received to be higher offensively at changing some first downs and working the clock out. However, it helps when you’ve a protection that’s in a position to have been in these moments earlier than and make these massive performs. It’s a staff sport, and we’re profitable video games, and I really feel like we’re going to begin getting higher and higher every week.”
As for Kirk Cousins, he was rendered comparatively speechless by the consequence.
“Simply form of reversed out and handed it off,” he stated of the ultimate play. “After which from there, didn’t have an excessive amount of of a vantage level, so there’s not a lot I can give you.”
The vantage level confirmed that the Falcons realized what a lot of the NFL already is aware of: While you’re going through Spagnuolo’s protection, and also you give Spags’ final shot-caller a last alternative to shoot his shot, issues will most likely not go too nicely in your offense.
At the very least two former Chiefs weren’t impressed with Atlanta’s thought course of.
I hate that play name a lot.
It was going to be QB Sneak however Kirk “alerts” it to an outdoor zone as a result of KC is in “gaps” protection.
The issue is that Chiefs had been in goalline protection. Spags wins once more!
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) September 23, 2024
There have been additionally extra defenders on the opposite facet of the ball. Must run one thing downhill the place the RB can no less than try to interrupt a sort out or hit the LB laborious sufficient to fall ahead https://t.co/FiGpcBPpVv
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) September 23, 2024
What might the Falcons have performed in a different way? Properly, I occurred to level out that if the Falcons had a quarterback extra conversant with quarterback sneaks, they could have subbed that quarterback in for this specific state of affairs. And possibly the Falcons did choose that quarterback with the eighth general decide within the 2024 draft within the particular person of Michael Penix, Jr.
if you happen to want that one yard on fourth down and your quarterback is not going to sneak, it’s best to most likely draft a quarterback who had constructive yardage on 13 of his 15 designed runs final season together with three touchdowns
if solely pic.twitter.com/K7hsUuyxGY
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 23, 2024
One alert reader identified that the 2020 Indianapolis Colts did this quite a bit once they would sub out Philip Rivers in favor of Jacoby Brissett when it was time for a short-yardage win. Brissett ran the ball 17 instances for simply 19 yards that season, however he additionally scored three touchdowns, and transformed seven performs on third or fourth-and-short. Rivers was 39 years previous and in his last NFL season, so he wasn’t going to be the one plowing into the road.
So, possibly Penix would have been an possibility, and possibly all people would really feel a bit higher in regards to the Falcons buying each Cousins AND Penix this offseason if that had been the decision.
All of the Falcons can do now could be to rue the misplaced alternative, and transfer alongside.
“Clearly you don’t be ok with them now,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris stated of these last two runs. “They didn’t work, proper? However you run one up the center with Tyler Allgeier. You don’t get it, you get knocked again. You get no yards on that play. You get fourth down with Bijan, and also you get no yards on that play. So, you don’t like the decision, you don’t just like the outcomes, however that was our plan, and we had been decisive. We known as them, we had been very aggressive, and we misplaced the soccer sport.”
Properly, no less than the top coach is aware of precisely what occurred. Possibly subsequent time the Falcons gained’t outthink themselves proper out of a possible big-time win.