The Falcons changed their final play against the Chiefs, and it was a catastrophe

With 56 seconds left in Sunday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Falcons were down 4th and 1 from the Kansas City 13-yard line. With the score at 22-17, a field goal was not an option. The Falcons had to convert on 4th down and get in the end zone. They were already in the end zone and had been ignored by official Tra Blake and the officials, who missed a clear pass interference call by safety Brian Cook on tight end Kyle Pitts.

It was third down and 5 from the Kansas City 6-yard line, and on the next play Kirk Cousins ​​fumbled a pass to receiver Drake London, giving Atlanta the ball on downs.

So the Falcons knew they had to go all out on their next drive if they wanted to win.

And they had the play to do it. On the play before Atlanta's final play in question, running back Tyler Allgaier ran up the middle for no gain, but now running back Bijan Robinson was directed to run up the middle again.

That was the call … but based on what the Falcons got from Kansas City's strong defensive line, it wasn't the call.

“We got the call down,” Robinson said after the game. “It looked like things were going to change, so we changed the play. When we changed the play, we had to take a couple of guys into account. No. 32. [Bolton] “It was tough because he got free in the middle. When I got the ball I had to make a decision quickly. He came out and tried to switch and go, but that was my line so it was tough for me. Of course, I'm going to try harder to break tackles and make that play, regardless of the situation.”

In this case, Atlanta didn't score not because Robinson didn't play, but because Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton provided the highlight of the game with a tackle to stop Robinson in the act.

Bolton knew full well he'd have to adjust this time after watching Robinson's 1-yard touchdown run with 6:44 left in the first half. Atlanta ran an old-school T-formation in the red zone with tight end Charlie Warner as the third man in the backfield, and it paid off. Bolton was late to the gap and was overwhelmed.

This time, Bolton was not going to let that happen.

“Yeah, we had a similar play in the red zone, but with three backs. [they] “I used my tight end as a full blocker,” Bolton recalled. “My linemen could have fooled me a little bit more and played with me. Maybe me and Leo [Chenal] Attacking him on the goal line, maybe pushing him back. I came up with a similar play pattern, but they only had two backs instead of three. So, I [and] We cheated a little bit. It was like a locker room rule, if a tight end is blocking 54, we set the edge. So Leo [Chenal] I set the edge and I kicked his ass and made a play.”

Bolton said he was aware of the play before it happened.

“Yeah, yeah. Coach made a great call. He put his big defensive linemen in there and they went vertical and I went all out.”

This time, Allgeyer was Robinson's lead blocker, and Bolton knew he needed to get a shot while Allgeyer was moving outside the tackle.

Linebacker Leo Chenal also knew what was coming.

“They saw us all collapse and crowded in the box and said, 'Check, check.' We knew they were going to be on the lookout for the outside perimeter run, and Nick executed it perfectly and made the shot on that play.”

Bolton's play wasn't much of a surprise. During the week of Super Bowl 53 in Las Vegas, both Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo said he was the guy who carried the Chiefs' defense and held it together.

And when the Chiefs needed him most, Bolton delivered.

Patrick Mahomes was also impressed.

“Yeah, that was a great play,” the quarterback said. “I mean, I thought it was pretty similar. [Bolton] “They talked about it being a very similar play they ran at the goal line. He recognized it, took the shot and made the play. The defense made a couple of plays like that. We have to put more effort offensively into converting first downs and running out the clock. But when you have a defense that has had those moments before and can make big plays like that, it helps. It's a team game and we continue to win games. I feel like we're getting better and better every week.”

Kirk Cousins ​​was nearly speechless at the result.

“I just backed out and made a pass,” he said of the final play, “and from there, I wasn't in a very good position, so I don't really have much to give you.”

That favorable situation taught the Falcons something most of the NFL already knows: If you face a Spagnolo defense and give Spags' ultimate shot-caller one last chance, your offense is likely not going to get off the ground.

At least two former Chiefs were not impressed with Atlanta's thought process.

What could the Falcons have done differently? Yes, I happened to point out that if the Falcons had a quarterback familiar with quarterback sneaks, they might have replaced him in this particular situation. And the Falcons might have drafted someone named Michael Pennis Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft.

One observant reader pointed out that the 2020 Indianapolis Colts used this technique often, such as when they replaced Philip Rivers with Jacoby Brissett when they needed to win in short yardage. Brissett ran 17 times for just 19 yards that season, but he scored three touchdowns and completed seven plays on third or fourth down. Rivers was 39 years old and in his final NFL season, so he wasn't a free-throw shooter.

So, maybe Penix would have been an option, and if that was the decision, everyone might have felt a little more comfortable about the Falcons acquiring both Cousins ​​and Penix in the offseason.

All the Falcons can do now is rue the lost opportunity and move forward.

“Obviously, I don't have a good feeling about them now,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said of their final two runs. “It didn't work, right? But we had one run up the middle with Tyler Allgaier. It didn't work, we got pushed back. We didn't gain any yards on that play. We got a fourth down with Bijan, we didn't gain any yards on that play. So, I didn't like the call or the result, but that was our plan and we were decisive. We made the call, we were very aggressive, but we lost the football game.”

Well, at least the head coach knows exactly what happened, and next time the Falcons might not let their own thoughts sabotage a potential big win.