Even though the Chiefs defeated the Falcons on Sunday Night Football to get to 3-0, the harsh conversation on social media has not stopped.
People are talking about a contentious late call by the refs, but Falcons great safety Justin Simmons quickly dispelled those rumors following the game.
Kirk Cousins found Kyle Pitts in the end zone with Atlanta needing a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Bryan Cook ought to have been called for defensive pass interference because he was evidently early. The ball, however, landed unfinished because the refs failed to make the call.
Simmons, in contrast to many other supporters on social media, handled the situation classily, emphasizing that the Falcons were not defeated by a single play.
In response to the contentious missed DPI against the Chiefs, Justin Simmons
Even with the missed call, Atlanta still had the ball in Kansas City territory with an opportunity to seal a win. In the end, a dubious run play stuffed them on fourth down, but Falcons supporters are still incensed with the missed penalty.
Those supporters do have a point, given that the Chiefs defeated the Bengals in Week 2 mostly as a result of a correct defensive pass interference call.
In any case, the officials’ errors are not unusual. Chiefs fans remember the awful “forward progress” call against Derrick Johnson in the playoffs years ago, so this is a problem every club has to deal with.
A game is never decided by one play. Though Atlanta had numerous opportunities to win, Kansas City finally emerged victorious. Simmons is aware of this, and he was also among the Falcons’ finest players. He has every reason to be frustrated since he intercepted a bad pass from Patrick Mahomes.
In a locker room, that level of maturity is highly valued. The fans will ultimately get over it, since it does not seem like the Falcons players are particularly unhappy.
