Justin Simmons spent his first eight seasons in the NFL in the NFC West with the Denver Broncos, so he's someone the Atlanta Falcons expected to have a big role Sunday night against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Simmons definitely showed his worth for the Falcons when he proved once again why he's always been a big thorn in the side of Mahomes.
Late in the second quarter of the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Simmons surprised Mahomes again just like old times. The 30-year-old defensive back picked off Mahomes in the end zone on a pass intended by the Chiefs superstar quarterback for tight end Noah Gray. It was Simmons' sixth career interception at the expense of Mahomes and his first overall as a member of the Falcons.
Simmons has 31 career interceptions after that blunder by Mahomes, which also means that nearly 20 percent of the safety's picks in the NFL were from the three-time Super Bowl champion.
JUSTIN SIMMONS PICKS OFF PATRICK MAHOMES FOR THE 4TH STRAIGHT GAME 🤯
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 23, 2024
Simmons landed with the Falcons last August when he signed a one-year deal with the NFC South team worth $7.5 million. That came after he was released by the Broncos last March, with Denver looking to save money. During his time with the Broncos, Simmons earned two Pro Bowl nods and collected 30 interceptions, 64 passes defended, 4.5 sacks, and 604 total tackles (443 solo tackles).
At the half of the Chiefs-Falcons game, Mahomes was limited by Atlanta's defense to 128 passing yards and a 71.2 passer rating.
Simmons and the Falcons entered the Chiefs game riding the momentum of their exciting 22-21 win in Week 2 over the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. It was not a secret heading into Week 3 that Atlanta's defense would have to step up if the Falcons were to pull off an upset at home against the Chiefs. So far in the contest, Simmons and Atlantas' stop unit is doing a serviceable job of helping the Falcons keep in step with the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions.
Social media react to Justin Simmons' interception in Chiefs vs. Falcons

“Death, taxes, and Justin Simmons intercepting Patrick Mahomes. This is his SIXTH career interception off Mahomes.” –
Ari Meirov.
“No one has picked Mahomes off more than Justin Simmons. That’s his 6th. The next best is 2.” – Peter Schrager
“Justin Simmons owns Patrick Mahomes. The former Boston College DB has picked Mahomes 6 times in his career.” – Miles Garrett
“Justin Simmons reads that man like nobody else lol” – Brett Kollmann