5 things we learned from the Falcons’ loss to Chiefs

Berry, who played at Creekside High and the University of Tennessee, gave the ball to his mother, who was in the end zone, after the conversion and after his 37-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter that broke a 13-all tie just before halftime.

The Chiefs improved to 9-3, and the Falcons, who also blew fourth-quarter leads against Seattle, San Diego and Philadelphia, dropped to 7-5. The are now tied for first-place in the NFC South with Tampa Bay, who improved to 7-5 with a 28-21 victory at San Diego on Sunday. The Bucs have won four in a row since losing 43 -28 to the Falcons in Week 9.

“I reminded the team in the locker room that it never comes down to one play,” Quinn said.

But this one did come down to one play.

“It was a poor play on my part,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. ” (I was) expecting combination coverage to the outside and Eric Berry did a good job of coming down off and going on to the tight end. A disappointing play. A bad play on my part. Ultimately, that was a tough one.”

The Falcons took a brief 28-27 lead when Ryan tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aldrick Roberson with 4:32 to play.

The energy was zapped right out of the building with Berry’s play as the clock stayed at 4:32 for the untimed play.

The Falcons’ defense, which had struggled all day, couldn’t get the ball back.

The Falcons, who are hoping to end a three-season playoff drought, will enter the final four games of the season with more injury concerns as left tackle Jake Matthews (knee sprain), wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (groin) and Julio Jones (lower body/ankle) all left the game.

Ryan completed 22 of 34 passes for 297 yards, but his two interceptions — one officially — were costly.

Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 140 yards.

Here are five things we learned from the loss to the Chiefs:

1. Chiefs' homecoming. Berry was playing in his first game at the Georgia Dome as a pro. He changed the game and put the Chiefs in control late in the second quarter.

With the game tied at 13 with under a minute left in the second quarter, Berry intercepted a Ryan pass intended for wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and scored from 37 yards out.

“That’s was just a good play by Eric,” Ryan said. “That was a decision that I can’t make. I’ve got to check the ball down or move on. I made a mistake there.”

The Falcons added 59-yard field goal at the buzzer and trailed 20-16 at half time.

Kansas City wide receiver Albert Wilson, who played at Georgia State, scored on a 55-yard run off a fake punt on the Chiefs’ first possession of the second half to build a 27-16 lead.

Wilson shot through the middle of the Falcons’ punt coverage team and returner Eric Weems missed Wilson at the 27.

2. Defense gets gashed. The Falcons' defense, which gave up 389 total yards, had a tough outing.

The Falcons talked about the Chiefs’ speed and ability to make big plays all week but couldn’t control them.

In the first half, the Chiefs amassed 232 yards on just 24 plays for an average of 9.7 yards per play.

Quarterback Alex Smith was 21 of 25 for 270 yards and one touchdown.

The Chiefs’ opening drive foreshadowed what a difficult day it was going to be.

After the Falcons scored on their opening drive, the Chiefs answered quickly by ripping off plays for 18, 21 and 35 yards to set up a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Spencer Ware.

Kelce led the charge with four catches for 99 yards in the first half. He got behind Falcons safety Keanu Neal for the 35-yard gain on the Chiefs’ third play from scrimmage. He also beat Neal late in the game to help the Chiefs kill the clock.

“He’s a technician,” Neal said. “He’s smart with his routes. He knows how to play the game. He’s a great a tight end.”

3. Matthews injured. Matthews suffered a left knee injury late in the second quarter and went to the team's locker room.

Matthews was replaced in the lineup by Tom Compton, who did a reasonably job in both the run game and in protecting Ryan against a good Chiefs pass rush.

Matthews, the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, did not return to the game. Quinn said he had a knee sprain.

4. Slowing Jones. The Falcons opened the game by throwing three consecutive passes to All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones. Jones caught four passes for 52 yards as the Falcons' drive of 81 yards over 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead after running back Devonta Freeman scored on a 1-yard run.

Ryan was sharp on the drive as he completed all six passes he attempted for 67 yards and overcame a touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel being called back because of a holding penalty on Matthews.

The Chiefs’ became determined to hold Jones in check and used a safety to help cornerback Marcus Peters.

Jones didn’t catch another pass until 10:30 in the third quarter after the Chiefs had built a 27-16 lead.

Jones ended up with seven catches for 113 yards and no touchdowns before leaving the game on the Falcons’ last drive.

5. Blown opportunities. The Falcons had two good opportunities to take control of the game early, but were thwarted in the red zone.

Holding a 7-6 lead because of Ra’Shede Hageman’s blocked extra point, the Falcons drove to Kansas City’s 4-yard line on their second possession.

On third-and-3, Ryan was sacked by Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston. The Falcons settled for a 22-yard field goal.

On the Chiefs’ ensuing possession, defensive end Vic Beasley got a sack and stripped Smith of the ball. Grady Jarrett recovered at Atlanta’s 43.

Ryan moved the Falcons to the 4 again, but the drive stalled and Bryant added another 22-yard field goal.

“They played tight man-to-man coverage and we just couldn’t come away with touchdowns down there,” Ryan said. “That part, when you have those opportunities, especially early … down in the red zone, you want to come away with touchdowns. That probably cost us today.”