Ray K. from Asheville, N.C.

Hi Tori, I read Cameron’s post to you and I strongly support what he said. I, too, agree that we should’ve kicked the field goal. It is hindsight but we must learn from it. Mike Tomlin has been the head coach at Pittsburgh for a long time and there’s good reason for it. We lost to his Steelers who didn’t score a touchdown but had six field goals. You can win games by kicking field goals. I suppose my question is, how much weight do head coaches in the NFL put on analytics when, for instance, they go ‘for it’ instead of kicking a field goal? Rise Up and let’s beat those Saints!

Will: This is still clearly a big topic of conversation, and there were several questions about it, so I chose Ray’s as a representation of all of them. If you’d like to read Tori’s response in Tuesday’s Mailbox, you can do so here.

Her main point was that the “what if” game can always apply to a situation, and that is a dangerous world to live in. Leaders have to have conviction, and there’s a reason these decisions get made ahead of time before the heat of the moment, it’s so they can be thought out from every angle without the situational pressure. This was Atlanta’s plan of attack, it involved multiple options and the team will live with it and move on.

But as humanity first learned in the true story of time-traveling pioneer Marty McFly, actions have a future ripple effect. We can’t say that everything would have remained exactly the same if Atlanta had kicked a field goal with just over four minutes remaining, which would have given the ball back to Kansas City, likely with better field position than its own 6-yard line. The Chiefs would have new information to work with and would make different decisions as a result. (All of this Tori pointed out Tuesday, too).

Besides, hasn’t the other storyline this week been about opponents dominating time of possession? Should the team really have expected to get the ball back again at that point? Would it change your answer to learn that the Chiefs’ average possession at that point in the game lasted about four minutes?

It’s easy to reverse-engineer an outcome once the dust has settled. Honestly, though, when it was happening in the moment, I never felt that it was the right call to bring the field goal unit out. The result isn’t what Falcons fans wanted, but I still agree with the thought process. When Patrick Mahomes is on the other sideline, you want to control your own destiny as much as you can.

David H. from Marshalltown, Iowa

I have a question about being placed on injured reserve, since we have two starters now receiving that designation. It seems like being placed on IR means they are out for the season. However, we see players coming back from IR during the regular season from time to time. What are the “rules” for being placed on IR?

Will: Ya know, David, even working for an NFL team, I find myself needing a refresher on these rules several times throughout the year. They can get confusing, especially when changes are introduced. Now is a great time to run through a quick refresher, especially in light of Drew Dalman going on IR earlier this week.

Players who go on the reserve/injured list must miss at least four games. After that four-game period, a player can be “designated to return,” which begins a 21-day period during which the player can begin attending practices again while not on the active roster. During this period, a team must add the player to its active roster or the player in question will remain on IR for the rest of the season.

Teams may designate up to eight players for return from IR during the regular season. In a new change to the rule this year, playoff teams will get an additional two designations for the postseason.

Currently, the Falcons have safety DeMarcco Hellams as their only player designated for return from IR later this season. The second-year safety injured his ankle in the Falcons’ first preseason game against Miami and was given the designation after roster cutdowns. In addition to Dalman, linebacker Nate Landman is the other notable Falcons player currently on IR who could be activated later this year.

Thank you all for today’s submissions! If you’d like to ask a question for a future edition of The Mailbox, which will run Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the season, you may do so here.