Chiefs Face Falcons’ New Safety Pairing After Jessie Bates III Trade

The Kansas City Chiefs will get the first look at Atlanta’s secondary since the Falcons traded safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars. DeMarcco Hellams is listed in Bates’s former starting spot on Atlanta’s unofficial depth chart for Sunday’s game.

The Falcons received a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in the deal. Bates was a team captain, and his departure leaves Atlanta with a new pairing at safety. Xavier Watts remains in the lineup, with Hellams listed next to him.

For Patrick Mahomes, one early read will be how Atlanta deploys those two safeties. If both stay deep, Kansas City can look underneath and make the secondary tackle in space. If one drops toward the line of scrimmage after the snap, Mahomes will have to locate him before throwing into the middle. The Chiefs can use motion to see how Atlanta adjusts before the play begins.

Travis Kelce gives Mahomes a familiar option in that part of the field. He enters Sunday with 33 catches for 482 yards and two touchdowns, according to the NFL’s Week 10 matchup notes. How Atlanta handles Kelce when he lines up inside could help Mahomes see which safety is responsible for the middle of the field.

Kansas City also acquired Josh Downs from Indianapolis at the trade deadline. Downs caught 33 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown with the Colts this season. If he gets snaps on offense Sunday, his routes underneath could put another receiver in the areas Atlanta’s safeties have to sort out with their linebackers.

How often the Chiefs test that coverage could depend in part on their backfield. Kenneth Walker III is questionable after missing Friday’s practice with groin tightness. If Kansas City can establish the run, play-action will give Mahomes another way to see how quickly Atlanta’s safeties commit and where that leaves room to throw.

The Chiefs enter at 6–2 and the Falcons at 3–6. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. When Kansas City first sends Kelce across the formation, watch whether Hellams moves with him or stays deep. That should give an early look at how Atlanta wants its new safety pairing to handle the middle.