Like the Kansas City Chiefs' first two games of the season, their 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons was a tough matchup against a talented team that ended up being closer than we imagined. At every opportunity, Kansas City seemed to leave a few points on the field that could have extended their lead – but towards the end of each game, the defense found a way to shut down the opposition.

Here are some standouts from Sunday night's game, which saw the Chiefs win 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Linebacker Nick Bolton: All of his early-season woes were forgotten when Chiefs linebacker MIKE ended Atlanta's comeback hopes with a memorable fourth-down tackle that resulted in a loss of yardage. Bolton was back to his old self, collecting eight total tackles – three of them behind the line of scrimmage.

Running back Carson Steele: The biggest story surrounding 1 Arrowhead Drive last week was the loss of Isiah Pacheco due to injury – and how the team would fill the void. Steele stepped up and outperformed the Falcons' two highly valued backs combined. Steele totaled 74 yards, showing great ball control and the ability to handle short-yardage situations. He deserves a longer look — even if there is more help available at the position.

Wide Receiver Rashee Rice: Since we expected this season to bring more passes down low, we thought it could be a good season for the former SMU wideout; more opportunities for downfield runs would arise. But through three games, Rice is exceeding all expectations. He leads NFL receivers in receptions and yards after the catch – and ranks second in receiving yards. During the first quarter on Sunday, he had a pike catch to move the chains – and that was just one of Seven He converted first downs. He finished the game with 12 catches on 14 attempts for 110 yards and a touchdown. Those are numbers we would expect from a No. 1 wide receiver.

Player Matt Araiza: His three punts averaged 48 yards, which was fine, but the incredible catch he made on a high snap turned a game-ending disaster into a game-winning play. He's making the most of his second chance in the league.

Linebacker Leo Chenal: You don't see much in the score sheet – but you can't miss the former Wisconsin Badger on Kansas City's game-winning play. The Chiefs' defensive line – with Chenal against double coverage – blew up the middle of the Falcons' offensive line and thwarted the play before Bolton even penetrated the backfield. Chenal plays multiple positions (including fullback) and has proven to be a strong, disruptive (and much improved) player at nearly every position.

Wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster: Kansas City didn't bring him back to put up big numbers — but over the last few weeks, he's shown us exactly what he's here to do: all the dirty work a Chiefs wide receiver has to do (like blocking down the field) to help his team win. On Sunday, Smith-Schuster was rewarded with a 13-yard touchdown pass.

Left Tackle Wanya Morris: It looks like the second-year player will get more opportunities to start. He was solid against the Falcons' talented defense. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was not sacked – and the team was able to run the ball effectively. Best of all, Morris got it all done without being penalized. We'll look at Morris's play in more detail, but he looked good as a starter.

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Security Justin Reid: Kansas City's top safety had a tough task this week. Facing (and chasing) Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts isn't easy; his size and speed make him a nightmare for any safety or linebacker. Pitts left Reid far behind on the longest play of the game: a 50-yard catch in the first quarter. Opposing backs and tight ends have mastered the Chiefs' pass defense so far this season. We should note, however, that aside from the big play, the unit allowed Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson just three pass catches and 30 yards on six attempts.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: After the game Kansas City's star quarterback spoke openly about needing to play better — and we saw some big misses on Sunday night. On some of those, the Chiefs had to settle for a field goal rather than put the game out of reach. Mahomes also had an interception in the end zone while trying to force a touch pass to tight end Noah Gray. For the second week in a row, Mahomes helped lead his team to victory — but also struggled on late drives that could have decided the game. Maybe we're being petty — there's no other player in the league we'd rather have — and the team wins games even when he's not at his best. We just want him to Be at its best.

Wide Receiver Xavier Worthy: The first-round pick was riding high after two big touchdown plays in Week 1. But since then, Worthy has had four catches for 34 yards on eight targets — and hasn't been able to quite break free on designed runs. There have been a few instances where he may not have been in the right place on his routes, leading to poor results. Difficulties like this are par for the course for rookies — but especially with Kansas City missing one of its top receivers, we'd like to see Worthy make better use of his opportunities.