ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons will head into their bye week on a three-game losing streak after falling to the Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 10.

Atlanta had rebounded from back-to-back losses twice earlier this season, but it couldn't replicate that for a third time. The defeat drops the Falcons to 3-7 on the season, and they remain in last place in the NFC South with seven games left to play after their bye.

A three-game division stretch in the final three weeks of the season means there is still the possibility of a late flourish to quickly gain ground and perhaps capture an NFC South title, but the Falcons will need better performances than Sunday's to accomplish that.

Let's take a closer look at how this game unfolded and its impact on the season.

Final score: 35-13

Why it's important: The Falcons now move to 3-7 on the year. This is the third time in six seasons the Falcons have started the season 3-7.

With Tampa Bay on their bye this week, and the Panthers and Saints facing each other, a win for Atlanta could have broken a three-win stalemate between the NFC South teams.

That break, though, went the Panthers' way as they held on to beat the Saints after a last-second 54-yard field goal.

Key takeaway: Atlanta could not consistently move the ball through the air on Sunday. The Chiefs entered Week 10 ranked seventh in passing defense, and they lived up to that top-10 status in this game.

On the Falcons' first offensive play of the game, Michael Penix Jr. threw an off-target pass to an open Drake London. That play proved to be emblematic of the type of game Atlanta would have throwing the football.

At the end of the third quarter, Penix was 12-of-21 for 121 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The Falcons had just four completions that went for 20 yards or more against the Chiefs, and explosive plays were hard to come by for the offense.

Without a balanced offensive attack, the Chiefs were able to crowd the box and keep Atlanta's run game in check as well. Although Bijan Robinson averaged 4.4 yards per carry, the offense couldn't routinely ride the ground game to keep possessions alive, especially when penalties put them in tougher down-and-distance situations.

The best NFL offenses are capable of winning in multiple ways, and the lack of a consistently threatening pass attack made life difficult for Atlanta on Sunday.

Key moment: The Falcons defense was standing tall after giving up a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to Kansas City to start the game. In the drives that followed, however, the defense locked things down. They forced a punt on four consecutive drives, with the Chiefs only netting 63 total yards across those possessions.

With the Falcons' offense struggling to get much going by way of first downs and points, the defense was keeping the score close – 7-0 to be exact.

They were threatening to put up more points in the final two minutes of the half, but the defense came up with the stall and the Chiefs sent out their kicking unit as they were content to settle for a 41-yard field. However, when the ball was snapped, Mike Ford was penalized for jumping offsides. It nullified the kick and the Chiefs were given four new downs. They didn't need four to find the end zone, though. Just one, as Patrick Mahomes tossed it to Josh Downs for a touchdown.

It was a quick turn of events that provided a two-score lead to the Chiefs. It was a lead the Falcons couldn't overcome, marking the organization's 33-straight loss when trailing by 10 points or more at halftime. Only the Raiders (45) have a longer streak.

Standout performance: DeMarcco Hellams

In his first game as a starter, Hellams brought his reliable physicality to the defense. He played several roles and consistently found his way to the ball.

As mentioned above, Atlanta's defense settled into the game nicely in the first half, and Hellams was a large contributing factor in that. He led the Falcons with 11 tackles, the most by an Atlanta defender in his first start of a season, excluding Week 1, since Troy Andersen logged 13 tackles in his first career start in Week 6 of the 2022 season.

Hellams was the next man up after Bates' departure, and he handled the role well.

Number(s) to know:

1

• The Falcons are the only team in the league so far this season to have successfully recovered an onside kick. Going into Sunday, teams were 0-of-22 going into Week 10's Sunday slate.

2

• In the first quarter, the Falcons defense forced Kansas City to punt on three consecutive drives. That's just the second time all season the Chiefs have punted on three straight drives in a single game.

12

• Bijan Robinson notched his 12th explosive run of 15-plus yards in Sunday's contest. That ties him for the second-most in the league right now, tying with Buffalo's James Cook. Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs leads the league with 16 such runs.

Injury updates:

• Drake London was evaluated for a concussion in the final few minutes of the game. He did not return to the game.

Up next: The Falcons head into their bye week for Week 11. They'll return to action Thanksgiving weekend on the road in Minnesota as they face the Vikings.