3 up and 3 down: Free agent signings stand out in Week 3

The Atlanta Falcons dropped a tough one in primetime to the defending Super Bowl champs. The Falcons had a chance to win this game down to the final moments, and while I'm not a fan of moral victories, I do think fans should be happy with the effort they got last night.

Here's this week's 3 up and 3 down for the Falcons.

Three Up Darnell Mooney The team's current receiving yards leader hauled in all eight of his targets against the Chiefs. The team views Mooney as an integral piece of the offense, maybe to a fault. While fans will lament (understandably) about the screen passes dialed up towards the end, getting the fastest player on offense involved as much as possible is a good thing. The team needs to be more creative when doing it, but Mooney is proving he can be a legit second option in this passing offense, as many had hoped.

The Falcons have emphasized stressing the defense horizontally, and Mooney can help the team do that. I think the wide receiver's best days are still ahead of him, and his role will continue to expand as the offense works on stretching defenses more vertically, a universal problem in the league right now.

Justin Simmons The late free agent acquisition played his best game of the year. Simmons entered the game with the most interceptions of Patrick Mahomes among all players. He left with his fourth interception in a row against the Chiefs quarterback, and now has more interceptions (6) against Mahomes than any other defender has against any quarterback in the entire league.

Simmons was all over the field last night, amassing a season-high four tackles and three assists. He was only targeted once and gave up zero yards, but he came down with the clutch redzone interception. The Falcons needed to take advantage of any opportunity Kansas City gave them, and Simmons understood that better than anyone, given his history with the opposing quarterback. It's early, but I think the Falcons have already answered the question of who has the best safety duo in the league.

Drake London After a measly three targets, zero touchdowns, and 15 yards in Week 1, London has garnered 16 targets, produced 136 yards, and scored in back-to-back games. Last night, the third-year receiver led the team with nine targets and looked like the number one option he was drafted to be. London's blocking has also been back to the level we have become accustomed to; he and Bijan Robinson had key blocks on the 20-yard end around play to Ray-Ray McCloud.

Seeing your first-round picks show up in all phases of the offense isn't a given. Atlanta is lucky to have a wideout with that mentality because, at the end of the day, blocking is about effort. The London and Cousins connection is just starting to heat up.

Three Down Raheem Morris The rookie players haven't seen any action, but there were plenty of rookie moments on Sunday night. Morris took an untimely timeout late in the second half that could've been stashed for later. The head coach then passed up a field goal try when there was still enough time to get a stop and get the ball back. Had they gone for it, there's a chance that the team could've won the game on a field goal to go up 23-22; there's also a chance that the Chiefs getting better field position after the fact changes the outcome, too.

On the final drive, we saw the team go away from the run game (until they didn't), which made sense considering how well the Chiefs were bottling them up, but the offense looked out of sorts and out of answers.

In hindsight, it is very easy to pick these decisions apart, and I want to stress that the Falcons still had a sound game plan overall. To wear the "CEO" head coach moniker, you must absolutely kill it in these challenging moments. Clock management, personnel decisions, and general situational awareness all come back to the head honcho.

The Falcons weren't terrible play callers last night, but they made bad decisions in critical moments. I have faith that Morris can rally his staff and improve, just as they did after Pittsburgh.

Dee Alford It was a rough game for the slot corner, who was coming off a sneaky bad performance in Philadelphia. Alford was targeted nine times and gave up nine receptions for 69 yards, with 36 yards coming after the catch. Alford allowed a team-high passer rating of 138.2 when targeted.

It's been a disappointing start for the once-reliable undrafted free agent, who has looked lost in coverage this year. He's given up a team-high in targets/receptions (16/15), passer rating (137.2), and yards (119). The team hasn't really rotated any other options into the slot. With Antonio Hamilton healthy again, it might be time to give others a chance.

Chris Lindstrom It's been a rocky start for the Falcons' most reliable blocker. Lindstrom hasn't quite looked himself this season, and that theme continued against Kansas City. While the entire line took turns getting blown off the ball and allowing pressure to alter the play, seeing it happen to Lindstrom consistently is becoming a concern. The offensive line suffered from a slow start in 2023, but Lindstrom was among the first to snap out of it–we haven't seen that happen yet.

Putting things into perspective, yes, Lindstrom has gone through a gauntlet to start this season. The guard has been matched up with the likes of Cam Hayward and Chris Jones, but we're seeing him lose battles to others, not just household names. With both McGary and Dalman being question marks moving forward, more will be asked of Lindstrom. The Falcons will need the top-paid guard to play like he is one, and soon.

Who else caught your attention for the right or wrong reasons on Sunday night?