Timing in life can be the great decider and for the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday the timing of the NFL schedule is very good.The Falcons (7-4) host the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) and that alone is not evidence of great timing. What does is the condition the visitors will arrive in when the ball is kicked off just after 1 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome.Last Sunday night, head coach Andy Reid took a banged up K.C. team into Denver and played 75 minutes before escaping the Rockies with a 30-27 victory. It was a rock em, sock em defensive struggle for most of the evening until Cairo Santos kicked a 34-yard field goal that caromed off the left upright and was good.Were not satisfied with this, Reid said of the victory and how it figures into the 2016 season. Were going down to play a good Atlanta team, so weve got to make sure we take care of ourselves and come back and practice the way we need to this week.Another edge for the Falcons is the game against the Chiefs sits on the schedule between two big division games for K.C. -- Denver last Sunday and Oakland coming up next Thursday.The Raiders will visit Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 8. They carry a 9-2 record into their Sunday game against Buffalo.Can the Chiefs rebound from their lengthy and emotional victory over Denver?Its that time of the season you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and if youre in position to strike, I dont think you can afford to take games off, Reid said. At this time, that cant even be an issue. Every game is so important right now.What makes it a big Sunday for the Falcons is they hold just a one-game lead in the NFC South, with the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5) nipping at their heels. After playing Kansas City, they do not face an opponent in their closing four games that has a winning record.Look too far down the line were talking about six, seven, eight weeks down the line doing what you do every day just becomes a means to an end and thats the total opposite of what we do, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said. The main thing is being here now and how much can we improve.The game will present quite a contrast in offenses. With Matt Ryan at quarterback, the Falcons are one of the most prolific groups in the NFL, ranking among the league leaders in yards gained (third), points scored (first) and offensive touchdowns (second).Then there is quarterback Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense. Nowhere in the top levels of NFL statistics can the K.C. offense be found.The Chiefs are ranked No. 27 in yards and have scored just 20 touchdowns. They make the top half of the league numbers in only two areas: interception percentage (only four in 402 attempts) and on fourth-down conversions (77.8 percent).Yet somehow the Chiefs continue to win -- theyve grabbed six of their last seven games and have posted a 19-4 record in regular and postseason games dating to October 2015.Sometimes there are things that dont show up on the stat sheet and you say --- man, this guy is playing at a high level, Quinn said of Smith. Its the decision-making, its creating a scramble to go for a first down and its putting the ball in the correct spot. We are all so impressed by his ability to make the right decision against the right coverage.Atlantas offensive success has been built on Ryan (114.3 passer rating with 26 touchdown throws and six interceptions), wide receiver Julio Jones (65 catches for 1,140 yards) and running back Devonte Freeman (998 offensive yards as a runner-receiver). Another factor has been the health of their offensive starters: The same five offensive linemen have opened each game.You could argue that theyre the best in the league right now, Reid said of Atlantas offense. Theyre doing a nice job; explosive in all phases.Thats not so much the case with the Falcons defense. Just this week they placed their best cover man, cornerback Desmond Trufant, on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered in October.The Falcons will also face the Chiefs without defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who will miss several games with a knee injury suffered in Atlantas victory last Sunday over Arizona.The Falcons defense ranks last in the NFL in stopping the pass, giving up an average of 282 yards per game.This season, the Chiefs have not been a powerful passing attack, averaging just 231.7 yards per game and Smith has thrown only 10 touchdown passes. They do have two weapons with tight end Travis Kelce (57 catches for 675 yards) and speedy rookie wide receiver Tyreek Hill (seven overall touchdowns and 110 all-purpose yards per game). They are hoping to get Jeremy Maclin, who got back on the practice field in a limited basis after being sidelined by a groin injury.Hill was chosen as the AFC offensive player of the week for his two touchdowns against Denver.Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Damian-Lillard-Blazers-Jersey/ . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Bill Walton Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged.Now this is the way to start the college football season.The usual steady stream of games from Thursday through Monday night this year includes four matchups of ranked teams and six more ranked teams facing Power Five opposition, four of those away from home.In some cases, regardless of the quality of the competition, the names alone scream big-time college football game. Alabama vs. USC. Texas vs. Notre Dame.Since the NFL moved the start of its season to the week following Labor Day in 2001, college football has turned summers last hurrah weekend into a delightful opening act. But it tended to be quantity -- lots of games on TV spread out over five games -- over high quality. Most top teams were playing cupcakes.The College Football Playoff has encouraged teams to play step-up nonconference scheduling since one loss early wont kill a teams national championship hopes. The demands of television networks and fans -- who are paying the bills in college football -- also pushed schools to accept more challenging games.This opening weekend is not quite the greatest in college football history. In 1998, eight games matched Top 25 teams. But it is better than most.The last time four games paired ranked teams in the first week of the season was 2009. The opening slate that year included a top-10 matchup in Atlanta between No. 5 Alabama and No. 7 Virginia Tech, won by the Crimson Tide, and No. 20 BYU upsetting No. 3 Oklahoma at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas.A third-ranked Sooners team losing in an NFL stadium to a school from outside the power conferences? Houston fans would like to see a repeat of that Saturday.The picks:THURSDAY KICKOFFAppalachian State (plus 20) at No. 9 TennesseeVols offensive coordinator Mike DeBord was Michigans OC when it lost to App State in 2007. Bad omen? ... TENNESSEE 38-14.Charlotte (plus 40) at No. 19 LouisvilleA fun full season of Lamar Jackson at quarterback for the Cardinals should start with one big half and then some work for the backup ... LOUISVILLE 58-14.FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE FARMKansas State (plus 15 1/2) at No. 8 StanfordWildcats coach Bill Snyder begins season with 193 victories. Getting to 200 might be a nice way for the 76-year-old Hall of Famer to head into retirement ... STANFORD 38-20.SATURDAY MAIN EVENTSNo. 1 Alabama (minus 11 1/2) vs. No. 20 Southern California at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TexasThe thought of losing to the defending national champions might not be so bad for USC fans. The thought of losing to former Trojans coach Lane Kiffin, now the Tides offensive coordinator, probably wont be as easy to take ... ALABAMA 27-14.No. 3 Oklahoma (minus 11) vs. No. 15 Houston at NRG Stadium in HoustonThe last time the Cougars went into a huge early season game this highly ranked was 1991 against Miami, and it did not turn out well for Houston. Can another much-hyped bunch of Coogs be heading for a similar fate? ... OKLAHOMA 38-24.No. 18 Georgia (minus 2 1/2) vs. No. 22 North Carolina at the Georgia Dome in AtlantaThe Kirby Smart era begins for the Bulldogs. More importantly, the Nick Chubb era continues after last years knee injury put it on hold ... GEORGIA 28-23.UNDERCARDNo. 2 Clemson (minus 7 1/2)) at AuburnQB DeShaun Watson was last seen putting up 478 total yards against Alabamas defense.ddddddddddddAuburn does not have Alabamas defense. ... CLEMSON 35-21, BEST BET.No. 5 LSU (minus 10) vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WisconsinBadgers best bet to stop RB Leonard Fournette was defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, but he is with the Tigers now ... LSU 28-10.No. 16 UCLA (plus 3) at Texas A&MPac-12-SEC matchup could feature the No. 1 pick in this years NFL draft, Aggies DE Myles Garrett, and next years, Bruins QB Josh Rosen ... UCLA 27-24, UPSET SPECIALEASY OPENERSBowling Green (plus 28) at No. 6 Ohio StateUrban Meyer gets to ease in a bunch of new Buckeyes ... OHIO STATE 45-14.Hawaii (plus 40) at No. 7 MichiganBack-to-back road trips to Australia and Ann Arbor. The Rainbow Warriors might need a new travel agent ... MICHIGAN 48-7.Rutgers (plus 26 1/2) at No. 14 WashingtonThe Huskies hype machine is not likely to be interrupted by a visit from the rebuilding Scarlet Knights ... WASHINGTON 31-7.Miami of Ohio (plus 27) at No. 17 IowaKirk Ferentz begins his 18th season at Iowa, tied with Bob Stoops of Oklahoma as the longest tenured coach in major college football ... IOWA 45-10.UMass (plus 35) at No. 25 FloridaThe first of three SEC opponents for the Minutemen. Only SEC teams play more ... FLORIDA 56-13.SUNDAY SHOWDOWNNo. 10 Notre Dame (minus 3) at TexasThe first of many referendum games for Longhorns coach Charlie Strong ... NOTRE DAME 24-20.MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALLNo. 4 Florida State (minus 4) vs. No. 11 Mississippi at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FloridaAmong running backs with at least 100 carries, the Seminoles Dalvin Cook had the highest average per carry against Power Five opponents at 7.69 ... FLORIDA STATE 27-17.TWITTER REQUESTSBYU (plus 1) vs. Arizona at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona -- (at)RustyHinkQB Taysom Hill, who was in the same recruiting class as former USC quarterback Matt Barkley, is starting again for the Cougars after two seasons lost to injuries ... ARIZONA 28-24.Missouri (plus 10) at West Virginia -- (at)watt11Its been a few years since realignment, but this still qualifies as an odd SEC-Big 12 matchup ... WEST VIRGINIA 23-17.Colorado (minus 7 1/2) vs. Colorado State at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colorado -- (at)MackinnonisGodAn often entertaining rivalry game ... COLORADO 30-24.South Carolina (plus 4 1/2) at Vanderbilt -- (at)BCrawford247Will Muschamps first season as Gamecocks coach is going to be a long one if it starts with a loss to Vandy ... SOUTH CAROLINA 15-12.Western Michigan (plus 5) at Northwestern -- (at)MatthewHLeachBroncos were second in the nation in time of possession per game last season at 34:33 ... NORTHWESTERN 24-21.Georgia Tech (minus 3) vs. Boston College at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland -- (at)RustyHinkTwo teams coming off awful seasons, open in Ireland hoping to change their (wait for it) luck ... GEORGIA TECH 24-17.---Last years record: 227-88 straight; 149-152-5 vs. spread.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '
