A football team from Atlanta went to Philadelphia and looked, by golly, like a football team.

          A week later, the team from Atlanta welcomed the defending Super Bowl champs and – perhaps a little surprisingly – again looked like a football team.

          Yes, the refs missed a huge interference call in the end zone. Yes, some play-calling is worthy of second-guessing. Yes, there was the wonderment about how nobody kind of kept an eye on the ability of Patrick Mahomes to scramble, and he had some huge holes.

          Yes, Drake London needs to focus only on catching the ball, holding onto the ball, giving it to the ref and jogging back to the dang huddle. Yes, Atlanta needed to move the pocket more.

          Atlanta’s chances for the upset were enhanced with one major focus: COVERING TRAVIS KELCE. Period. Defensive coordinators the past five years and players should be fined at how horrible they’ve been in strategy and execution against Kelce.

* Sept 16: Monday Morning Quarterback: Another black-n-blue battle in Lexington; Loughdmouthings: Falcons, silly second-guessing (UGA, county records
* Sept. 9: Monday Morning Quarterback: Suddenly, we saw Ridder and Smith in Falcons black again; notable numbers, on campus, and Loughdmouthings galore
* Sept.8 Column-Not just yet, but brace yourself to think good thoughts about the Falcons in 2024
* Sept. 2: Monday Morning Quarterback: Notes, reviews, Loughdmouthings
* Aug. 28: Monday Morning Quarterback: Notes, reviews, Loughdmouthings
* Aug. 16: Sit down, get comfy, and let’s just babble high school football for a bit

          He’s uncovered a staggering amount of the time. “He found a soft spot in the zone.” There should never, ever be a soft spot in a zone around Kelce. He should never be unescorted.

          He’s always unescorted. Monday night, five targets and four catches for 30 yards. That helped keep Atlanta in the game. He had no crushing catches in the second half, was a non-entity.

          Losing two starting offensive linemen hurts. Can’t argue that. You’re playing the defending champs, who have magic dust embedded in their uniforms, and you have to be 100 percent healthy to win.

          Sure, both teams had six penalties – seemed like more actually for KC – and the Chiefs had 17  more penalty yards, but yeah, the timing is relevant. But third downs were a little better for Kansas City, the yards per carry were a hair better for Kansas City, return yardage was a little better for Kansas City.

          That’s all it takes to win or lose a game, a hair better or worse, and when you’re trying to climb the mountain against the team on top of the mountain? It won’t be enough.

          All that said, two weeks in a row, Atlanta looks like a good football team. In all phases. The Falcons are still a work in progress – OK, yeah, yeah, “for 50 years we been a work in progress with no damn progress – with a new staff and new quarterback and a chunk of new players.

          They’re 1-2, pretty much as expected, and could easily be 3-0, which wasn’t necessarily expected. The progress from Week 1 to 2 is notable, and there was some progress from Week 2 to 3.

          Atlanta got help Sunday, and the Falcons are very capable of reeling off a tantalizing winning streak, with New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Carolina before currently undefeated Seattle.

          The call here before the season was around a 12-5 team, and that hasn’t changed. There’s nothing glaringly worrisome about this team.

          Haven’t been able to say that in a long time.

Thanks for nothing, greedy college jerks

          Enjoy Northern Illinois over Notre Dame, James Madison over North Carolina, Ohio battling Kentucky, Georgia State stunning Vandy, Toledo’s hazing of Mississippi State?

          You better, because of the selfishness and arrogance and greed of the bosses in the SEC, Big Ten, and plenty of college administrators and coaches, we’ll be soon losing those games and those chances.

          It will suck for those of us who prefer substance over greed.

          And those greed-mongering people aren’t getting called out nearly enough.

Loughdmouthings

          Georgia Tech will look at the 31-19 loss to Louisville as one that got away. It was a very winnable game, that wasn't, courtesy of a combo of on-the-field and wearing-headsets issues.

          Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner maybe had a slightly off day, mainly marred by a couple fourth-and-short calls going up the middle, as expected.

          Too, QB Haynes King would've walked in had he peeked to the edge on a fourth and goal. Players need to peek at the edge a lot more.

          And his blunder fumble that was taken in for a touchdown hurt.

          Tech lost that game more than Louisville won it.

          Still, an odd positive. Most marked down a road game against a ranked team as a loss, but the numbers back up the frustration of a win that got away: gave up only 57 yards rushing, outgained Louisville 410-326, better field position all day.

          Losses in September can lead to big wins in October and November. ...

          Among the dumbest things people say/reference twice a year is about being undefeated against open date or can't lose. For one, you're not playing, so you can't win or lose. No, most word plays are just kinda stupid, and not fun.

          So you'll be able to find alllll of 'em on a regular basis on the teevee.

          Have seen a few high school games that were routs this year in which ANY kind of decent tackling – reading and executing – stops two touchdowns.

          Well, stops those touchdown runs, at least, and some big runs that may set up touchdowns.

          It’s remarkable how bad it is on all levels. Forget the 27-word playcalls and 100-page playbooks. Fundamentals are more important than 40 time and bench numbers. …

          For all the silly focus on kickoffs – not that worrying about health is silly, but … - how often is a player carried off on a kickoff?

          Most everybody’s blocked most of the time. Many more injuries seem to happen on punts, and certainly on crossing routes.

          Can’t take them out of the game. …

          It’s great to see Northeast’s Nick Woodford look like his ol’ sophomore self, albeit a little leaner.

          What’s interesting and impressive about Woodford is the rare ability in high school to show patience with his blocking. Many of his big plays come while he slows down and lets blocking develop a little, and then takes the best hole and goes.

          He’s still got power, still got speed, still got wiggle.

          “Where will he go?”

          Hard to say. But don’t be surprised if he takes a slightly unexpected rout: what fits best for him as a student as well as a player, not fulfilling the desires of hangers on and watchers and people with agendas.

A refreshing change. …

          So, um, what’s with this very local trend of not having a public address announcer at high school football games? When the opposing team’s band director has to make a halftime announcement about a found driver’s license, that’s not very good. …

          Man, that North Carolina home crowd for James Madison sure looked like a Georgia Tech home game. Apparently folks knew something.

          JMU rolled 70-50. Then again, an entertaining action-packed game, minus much defense, is worth hanging around for. …

          Mike Vick butchering simple grammar on the teevee after all these years is tiring to listen to, and disappointing. Speaking for a living should involve some speaking skills. …

          Interesting and odd decision by the ACC Network to bump the end of James Madison-North Carolina for the start of Rutgers-Virginia Tech. Who cares about the first five minutes of a game? And, well, it was Rutgers. Come on. …

          Dear college coaches: Please wear a t-shirt with the color of your school or the color of your hoodie or vest or whatever, so when you raise your arms, we do not – not – see yo belly.

          Not good TV. …

          It was pointed out regularly on Saturday that North Carolina’s defensive coordinator is Geoff Collins.

          There is (probably) no truth to rumors that he has been banned indefinitely from all Waffle Houses within 100 miles of Chapel Hill.