Kansas City (2-0) at Atlanta (1-1)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC
BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 3 1/2
Series record: Chiefs lead 7-3.
Against the spread: Falcons 1-1, Chiefs 1-1.
Last meeting: Chiefs defeated Falcons 17-14 at Kansas City on Dec. 27, 2020.
Last week: Chiefs defeated the Bengals 26-25; Falcons defeated the Eagles 22-21.
Chiefs offense: overall (15), rush (19), pass (14), scoring (6).
Chiefs defense: overall (29), rush (17), pass (31), scoring (19-T).
Falcons offense: overall (18), rush (17), pass (20), scoring (25).
Falcons defense: overall (11), rush (27), pass (7), scoring (10-T).
Turnover differential: Chiefs minus-2, Falcons minus-2
RBs Carson Steele and Samaje Perine are expected to get most of the work in the backfield after Isiah Pacheco hurt his ankle in the final minute of a win over Cincinnati. Steele is an undrafted rookie who turned heads in training camp with his run-through-a-wall style. The Chiefs were planning to use him mostly in short-yardage situations. Perine signed with the Chiefs on Aug. 30 and has been trying to pick up the playbook quickly. He is at his best catching the ball out of the backfield.
FS Jessie Bates III is coming off a huge performance in a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Monday night. He broke up what appeared to be a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith and sealed the victory with an interception in the closing seconds. Bates also contributed a team-high 12 tackles, including one behind the line, earning NFC defensive players of the week honors. For the season, he has been credited with 18 tackles — 13 of them solo efforts.
QB Kirk Cousins vs. Chiefs secondary. Cousins completed five of six passes for 70 yards on the final drive, including a 7-yard touchdown to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining, to lead the Falcons to their improbable victory in Philadelphia. He should be overflowing with confidence as he faces a Kansas City defense that has allowed huge chunks of yardage the first two weeks against star quarterbacks Lamar Jackson of the Ravens and Joe Burrow of the Bengals. The Chiefs rank next-to-last out of 32 teams, giving up an average of 256.5 yards per game.
The Chiefs lost Pacheco to an ankle injury, one week after putting WR Marquise Brown on injured reserve because of shoulder surgery. The Falcons are relatively healthy, though LB Nate Landman did go injured reserve before last week's game at Philadelphia with calf and quad issues. That left Atlanta with only three inside backers — Kaden Elliss, Troy Anderson and rookie JD Bertrand — on the active roster.
The teams have only met 10 times with the Chiefs winning seven of them, including the past two. ... In their most recent game, Patrick Mahomes threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns, and Travis Kelce had a big game as the Chiefs won 17-14 on Dec. 27, 2020. Younghoe Koo missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt that would have sent the game to overtime. ... Atlanta's most recent victory over the Chiefs was a 40-24 triumph on Sept. 9, 2012, in Kansas City.
Both of the Chiefs’ wins this season have been decided on the final play of the game. Ravens TE Isaiah Likely landed out of bounds on a would-be tying TD catch in Week 1, and Harrison Butker kicked a winning 51-yard field goal last week against the Bengals after the winning drive was extended by a pass interference call on fourth down. ... Cousins was the first NFL quarterback in the past 30 years to complete at least 80% of his passes while throwing for at least 70 yards on a drive that began on the road in the last two minutes with his team needing a touchdown to erase a deficit, according to OptaSTATS. ... Chiefs OT Wanya Morris caught a TD pass last week against Cincinnati. OT Eric Fisher caught a TD pass in 2020 and did the same for Kansas City in a playoff game against Pittsburgh in 2022. ... Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for 150 yards on 23 carries against the Eagles. Overall, the Falcons averaged 5.4 yards per carry. ... Kansas City WR Rashee Rice has 12 catches for 178 yards and a TD through the first two games of the season. ... Falcons WR Darnell Mooney had a 41-yard touchdown catch and two more huge receptions on the winning drive against the Eagles, totaling a team-high 88 yards on those three grabs. ... Chiefs DT Chris Jones has 77 sacks. He needs two more to pass Justin Houston for fourth most in team history. Chiefs FS Chamarri Conner returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown against Cincinnati. He also had a sack on a blitz. ... Falcons DE Grady Jarrett had six quarterback hits in the first two games. ... Butker has kicked four game-winners in his Kansas City career. He also has made 29 field goals of at least 50 yards.
Don’t read too much into Travis Kelce’s meager production in the Kansas City offense. The four-time All-Pro tight end has just four catches for 39 yards through two games, with a long catch called back by a penalty last week against Cincinnati. He should get a bigger workload as the Chiefs adapt to Brown’s absence and the loss of Pacheco.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (27) scores a touchdown ahead of Los Angeles Rams free safety Lamarcus Joyner (20) as Chiefs offensive guard Cameron Erving (75) looks on during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III (34) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) after a catch during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) walks off the field after kicking a 51-yard field goal at the end of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals to give the Chiefs a 26-25 victory Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Chris Lindstrom (63) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
NEW YORK (AP) — Live from New York! It’s 50 seasons later for “SNL.”
The landmark NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with drop-dead dark humor and pratfalls, George Carlin as host and not one but two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
On Saturday nights, in those early years, young people gathered around TVs to watch the Lorne Michaels production that served up counterculture to the mass market via the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
Fast forward to this year, Sept. 28, when the first episode of “SNL’s” half-century season is set to air in a lead-up to a three-hour live primetime special Feb. 16 on, gasp, a Sunday. Jean Smart will host to open the season.
Over the decades, some seasons were better than others, with breakout stars like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and more. So what became of the freshman “SNL” class?
“National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Continental Divide,” “Neighbors” and all things The Blues Brothers. Belushi left “SNL” in 1979 to pursue music and film projects.
Following years of drug use, he died March 5, 1982, at 33 after overdosing at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Belushi’s death stunned friends and fans and symbolized the end of the hard-living ’70s.
Belushi birthed his “Joliet” Jake Blues, joining fellow “SNL” cast member Dan Aykroyd as brother Elwood. Their TV debut as the brothers blue came on “SNL” in 1978.
The sunglass-wearing, dark-suited Blues Brothers took on a fame of their own with the self-titled 1980 movie. After Belushi’s death, “Blues Brothers 2000” was released in 1998 in tribute with most of the first film’s original cast.
Nasally Roseanne Roseannadanna. Weird teen Lisa Loopner. Weekend Update’s “never mind” complainer Emily Litella. Radner contributed an endearing sweetness to the inaugural season of “SNL.” She stayed for five years.
In 1979, the Emmy and Grammy winner took to Broadway to perform a one-woman show, “Gilda Live.” Included were some of her most beloved “SNL” characters, including Baba Wawa, a spoof of Barbara Walters. The show was filmed and released as a movie.
Radner died in 1989 at 42 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. A documentary about her, “Love Gilda,” was released in 2018.
Chase was the first to utter the words: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” The first cast member to leave the show, he has a long list of post-“SNL” credits.
Initially hired as a writer, he was known on “SNL” for “Weekend Update,” his bumbling President Gerald Ford and his feuds with cast members. Bill Murray replaced Chase in the middle of season two.
In his post-“SNL” years, there were two “Fletch” movies. There was “Caddyshack,” “The Three Amigos!” and five “Vacation” movies, though his appearance in the 2015 one was a cameo.
Now 80, Chase has taken in recent years to hosting screenings with audience Q&As for the enduring "Christmas Vacation.”
She left “SNL” in 1980 after portraying Connie Conehead, Valley Girl stewardess Sherry and ditzy public access TV co-host Christie Christina.
Newman, 72, has spoken openly about her struggles with depression and drug addiction during that time. She got sober in 1987.
Steady film, TV and voice work followed. She was the antagonist in the 1991 comedy “Problem Child 2,” appeared in 1993’s “Coneheads” as Connie’s Aunt Laarta and performed in episodes of “Friends” and “3rd Rock from the Sun.” She lent her voice to several animated hit films, including “Wall-E,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3″ and “Tangled.”
In 2017, with the rest of “SNL’s” original cast, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
When he wasn’t bleeding out as Julia Child or declaring, “Jane, you ignorant slut!” on “Weekend Update,” Aykroyd swagged with Steve Martin as one of two wild and crazy guys, and led the Conehead family as patriarch Beldar.
He lent so much more to “SNL” before leaving in 1979, including his half of The Blues Brothers and impersonations of talk show host Tom Snyder, Rod Serling and two presidents: Nixon and Carter.
With Belushi, his close friend, and backed by legit players, the bluesy and soulful brothers caught on as a band. They played gigs and released a multimillion-selling album, “Briefcase Full of Blues.”
His post-“SNL” work took him even higher. Hit after hit followed “The Blues Brothers”: “Neighbors” in 1981, “Trading Places” in 1983 and 1984's “Ghostbusters.” Aykroyd earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy.”
With Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Isaac Tigrett, Aykroyd co-founded House of Blues, a chain of live music halls and restaurants.
Curtin left “SNL,” in 1980, after five seasons. She was a master of deadpan, often playing the straight woman off such outsized performers as Belushi and Radner. A regular on “Weekend Update,” she was also known for the Coneheads sketches as matriarch Prymaat and as Enid Loopner with fellow nerds Radner and Murray.
Curtin, 76, has spoken about being bothered by the drug-fueled lifestyles of some of her castmates. She won two Emmys for her 1980s sitcom “Kate & Allie.” She later starred as Dr. Mary Albright in the hit series “3rd Rock from the Sun.”
Initially hired as a writer, he was the oldest on “SNL’s” first cast at 37. He came to the show after 17 years as a singer and arranger with Harry Belafonte, as a stage actor, as a playwright and as a civil rights activist who helped desegregate Actor’s Equity.
He remained on “SNL” until 1980. He was known for his character Chico Escuela, the Dominican baseball player whose catchphrase, “Baseball has been berry, berry good to me,” caught on in pop culture. He also performed as the shouting interpreter in the “News for the Hard of Hearing” segments and did impersonations of James Brown, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali.
In 1994, Morris was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted holdup in Los Angeles.
In the ’80s, Morris appeared in a string of horror films. Later, he was a regular on the series “2 Broke Girls” and performed on TV comedies “Martin,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “The Wayans Brothers.”
FILE - Civil Rights activist and politician Julian Bond, left, appears with "Saturday Night Live" cast member Garrett Morris during a rehearsal for the sketch comedy series on April 7, 1977, in New York. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff, File)
FILE - Dan Aykroyd poses for a photo in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Sarah Hummert, File)
FILE - Emmy winners, from left, Jane Curtin, John Ritter, and Tyne Daly pose backstage at the Emmy Awards presentation at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Ca., Sept. 23, 1984. Curtin won for best actress in a comedy series for "Kate and Allie"; Ritter was named outstanding actor in a comedy series for his role in "Three's Company"; and Daly won for best actress in a dramatic series for "Cagney and Lacey." (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Laraine Newman arrives at the premiere "Live from New York!" in Los Angeles on June 10, 2015. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Dan Aykroyd poses for a portrait in West Hollywood, Calif., Tuesday, May 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Dan Aykroyd attends the world premiere of "Get On Up" in New York on July 21, 2014. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Actor Garrett Morris attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Actor Chevy Chase, center, sits on the front row during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks in Dallas on April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - Chevy Chase gets his ear licked from co-star Benji the dog, during a news conference in Los Angeles announcing their movie "Oh Heavenly Dog" on Sept. 6, 1979. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, file)
FILE - Steve Martin, from left, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short appear at the premiere of their film "Three Amigos!" in New York on Dec. 9, 1986. (AP Photo/Frankie Ziths, File)
FILE - Chevy Chase, a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," holds his Emmy Award as he watches a monitor showing producer Lorne Michaels accepting another Emmy for the show, while writers Alan Zweibel, left, and Tom Davis, right, look on, during the 28th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on May 17, 1976. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
FILE - Actor John Belushi appears at the opening night party for "Animal House" at the Village Gate in New York on July 27, 1978. Belushi died March 5, 1982, at 33 after overdosing at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - The coffin for actor John Belushi is carried out of the Congregational Church by pallbearers Dan Aykroyd, left, and Belushi's brother Jim Belushi, right, following funeral services in West Tinsbury, Mass., on March 9, 1982. Belushi died March 5, at 33 after overdosing at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Dave Tenenbaum, File)
FILE - Castmember Gilda Radner appears on the set of "Saturday Night Live," in New York on Dec. 1, 1977. Radner died May 20, 1989, at age 42 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)
FILE - Actor Burt Reynolds, second right, appears on the set with cast members of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," from left, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray, right, in New York, April 12, 1980. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, File)
FILE - Comedian Chevy Chase, second from left, joins the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," with Laraine Newman, from right, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and Jane Curtain, left, on Feb. 16, 1978 in New York. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)
FILE - White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen, left, appears on the "Saturday Night Live" set with producer Lorne Michaels, right, and cast members Chevy Chase, foreground center, Laraine Newman, background left, Dan Aykroyd, background right, Jane Curtain, second row from left, Gilda Radner, John Belushi and Garret Morris, partially obscured, on April 17, 1976, in New York. (AP Photo)
