Travis Kelce vs Justin Simmons is one of 3 key matchups for Chiefs vs. Falcons

After two home victories, the Kansas City Chiefs are set to head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in their first road game of the season. With a matchup on Sunday Night Football coming up, Atlanta is hoping to get a second consecutive upset win in primetime. The Falcons made the Philadelphia Eagles look foolish at the end of Monday Night Football in Week 2. Perhaps, that gives the Atlanta squad some confidence entering a game against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Kirk Cousins will be looking to ride some momentum from the end of the last game into a matchup with Patrick Mahomes. As for the Chiefs' signal caller, last Sunday was arguably one of his worst games ever. Due to that, this makes for an intriguing Sunday night affair against the NFC South for the Kansas City offense.

There are multiple players worth highlighting and keeping in mind entering this game. Who can win the one-on-one matchups throughout the course of the game? What are the top key matchups worth monitoring for Sunday?

Here are three crucial player matchups for Chiefs-Falcons.

Travis Kelce vs. Justin Simmons/Jessie Bates

The slow start from Travis Kelce may not be something that he is greatly worried about, at least from a stats perspective. However, it has been a bit uncharacteristic to see him only get a few targets in each game. One catch against the Bengals was nullified by an offensive penalty. And inside the opponent's five-yard line, he was credited with a rush against Cincinnati, due to a backward pass.

Going up against the Falcons, Kelce will be tested by facing off against two veteran safeties that have seen him quite a bit. Jessie Bates, in his second campaign with the Falcons, had some key battles against him while with the Bengals early in his career. And of course, Justin Simmons has been a pesky thorn in the side of the Chiefs here and there from his Broncos days. Both veterans offer great instincts and a nose for the football. Their ball skills may be the best of any safety duo in the entire NFL.

Will they be able to take easy throwing windows away when Mahomes wants to hit Kelce? Or, can the tight end shake free and start to pad his stats like we typically see?

Jake Matthews/Kaleb McGary vs. George Karlaftis/Mike Danna

They may not be viewed as elite or even great offensive tackles in the NFL. However, Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary have each been solid foundational pieces for a while now in Atlanta. Matthews' stature and heavy hands provide a sound skill set as a blindside protector. Meanwhile, McGary moves smoothly and has above-average athleticism for a blocker his size. The pass blocking has been a bit up and down from the Atlanta offensive tackles so far. TJ Watt singlehandedly dismantled any hope that the Falcons offense had when he rushed against McGary.

On the other side of this game, George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will be tremendous matchups to monitor. Each of Karlaftis and Danna is going to lean on power and physicality. Less speed to deal with is usually a plus for blockers like Matthews and McGary. However, the hand counter moves are vast from each of Karlaftis and Danna. If they are asked to run any stunts or games, to boot, can the Falcons offensive tackles maintain leverage?

This is an exciting matchup with the veteran Cousins still getting back to some sense of comfort coming off of last season's torn Achilles.

Falcons Rushing Attack vs. Chiefs Front Seven

Ever since this new Falcons coaching staff came in, fantasy football owners that have Bijan Robinson on their team have rejoiced. Robinson's usage in his rookie season was under great scrutiny last year. But through the first two games this season, Atlanta is rightfully giving him continued chances to both run toward the outside edge and have cutback lanes in between the tackles. Robinson has tallied 165 rushing yards on 32 carries so far. His yards per carry mark sits at 5.2 through those two contests.

But obviously, that is not all. The Falcons have one of the better secondary rushers to lean on, when necessary. Tyler Allgeier is a perfect physical style of runner to offset the quickness that Robinson can bring. Allgeier is never going to be caught going east or west. He truly remains on a north track to charge up the field.

In run defense, the Chiefs are in the middle of the pack through two games. Most of the damage that they have allowed was to Lamar Jackson in the season opener. Kansas City will have to work heavily to disengage from blocks, something the linebackers struggled with early on. Atlanta did a great job blocking down or climbing to the second level to open up rush lanes last week. If the Chiefs are unable to clog up run fits, the Falcons will take some possessions away from Mahomes and Co.