The Atlanta Falcons haven’t exactly been known for defense in recent years. Over the last several seasons, they’ve ranked 23rd, 18th, 23rd, 29th and 19th in total defense. Eventually, something had to change, right? Well, 2025 might finally be that year.
In their Monday Night Football matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, the Falcons showcased themselves in primetime — and may have just put the league on notice. Atlanta beat the Bills 24-14 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. While Bijan Robinson earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance, the real story coming out of that game was the Falcons’ stifling defense.
Atlanta held the Bills to 291 total yards of offense — a team low through the season’s first six games. This was all against the league’s reigning MVP, who managed only 180 yards passing, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while being sacked four times.
Yes, the Atlanta Falcons, of all teams, recorded four sacks against one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
Falcons Defense Has Been Dominating Opposing QBs
Josh Allen isn’t the only quarterback to fall victim to the Falcons’ defense this season. Perhaps the wildest stat surrounding this year’s Atlanta defense is that it hasn’t allowed a single opposing quarterback to throw for 200 yards all season.
Sure, some of that can be chalked up to facing the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy, who was only in his second NFL start, or Commanders backup Marcus Mariota filling in for Jayden Daniels. But the Falcons also held the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield — currently fourth in the league in passing yards — below that mark in Week 1.
And there’s no reason to think the trend can’t continue. The Falcons hit the road in Week 7 to face a beat-up San Francisco 49ers squad likely led by Mac Jones. They then host a reeling Miami Dolphins team with Tua Tagovailoa, who already has two sub-200-yard passing games this season. After that, they’ll face New England Patriots rookie Drake Maye before taking on one of the AFC’s best in the Indianapolis Colts and resurgent quarterback Daniel Jones.
Falcons Finally Have a Reliable Pass Rush
ESPN’s Mina Kimes summed it up perfectly during the Bills game.
“Falcons fans, what’s it like watching a competent pass rush?” Kimes posted on X.
Pass rush and the Falcons haven’t gone together in quite some time. Historically, Atlanta has been one of the worst teams in football at pressuring the quarterback. But now, the Falcons rank 11th in the league in sacks with 14 — and they’re only improving. Against the Bills, they pressured Allen on 44% of his dropbacks, the highest rate any team has produced against Buffalo this season.
A big part of that turnaround is the arrival of new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and the team’s recent draft strategy. Atlanta gambled on using back-to-back first-round picks on edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., while second-year defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro has taken a massive step forward. He currently leads all NFL interior linemen in quarterback pressure rate at 15.5%.
This could be only the start of things to come for this year’s Falcons defense.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Major Proof Atlanta Falcons Defense Is Different Under Jeff Ulbrich appeared first on Heavy Sports.