Kendal Daniels drew plenty of the headlines after Sunday, but he wasn’t the only Falcons rookie who answered a tough week with a big performance.
Zachariah Branch came into the matchup carrying the sting of two special-teams fumbles against the Chicago Bears. Atlanta’s response around him mattered.
Teammates backed him, and Bijan Robinson in particular was there for the rookie, praying with him and helping him reset before the next game. Branch then repaid that support in a major way during Atlanta’s 29-20 win over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
His biggest moment came early. On Atlanta’s opening possession after San Francisco’s first touchdown, Branch ripped off an explosive return that put the Falcons at the 49ers’ 36-yard line. That hidden-yardage swing set up Nick Folk’s 39-yard field goal and helped Atlanta answer right back.
“Obviously, that big return got us going,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said.
For a rookie who could have been buried by last week’s mistakes, the Falcons never seemed interested in letting that happen. The coaching staff kept him in the mix, and the message was clear: learn from it, don’t let it define you.
Robinson said Branch took that message and ran with it.
“That’s how you become the player you want to become if you just keep that faith throughout the week, you keep working hard throughout the week, and then the results will be there when you do everything right,” Robinson said.
Branch’s day on kickoff return was the real story. He finished with 61 yards on one return and helped Atlanta’s kickoff return unit pile up 126 total return yards. He also chipped in on offense with one catch for nine yards and an eight-yard rushing attempt.
The production wasn’t flashy on the stat sheet outside of that return game, but it showed exactly why Atlanta has kept faith in him. Special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman and the Falcons staff have continued to view Branch as a player who can tilt a game with his speed and versatility, as long as he protects the football and makes smart decisions.
Sunday suggested the rookie heard the message loud and clear.
In Other News...
Falcons Rookie Kendal Daniels Made This 49ers Breakout Even More Remarkable
The Falcons Week 7 win over the 49ers had plenty of good moments, but rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels turned it into a coming-out party in a way Atlanta will remember. Daniels made his presence felt late, stepping into a starting role after recently working back from a neck injury and showing the kind of poise and confidence that can change a game in a hurry.
Daniels said he was grateful to his teammates for supporting him through the recovery process and for the trust the Falcons showed by drafting him and giving him a shot to start. For Atlanta, the performance was encouraging on its own, and even more so because it came from a rookie who had already shown he could bounce back from adversity and make a real impact when the pressure was highest. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Just Answered A Huge Question Against San Francisco
Michael Penix walked into a tough matchup against San Francisco with plenty still to prove, and the Falcons left with something more valuable than just a win. Against an undefeated 49ers team, the quarterback showed he could handle the kind of stage and defensive look that usually tests a young passer, helping Atlanta come away with a result that will travel well as the season moves on.
What stood out was how Penix got there. Faced with a zone-heavy defense, he didnt force the issue or try to live exclusively off the deep ball, and that adjustment helped him stay efficient throughout the afternoon. For a Falcons offense still learning what it can be with him at the controls, it was the kind of performance that suggested there may be more than one way for him to beat a defense built to take away his favorite routes. [Read more 🡒]
Kendal Daniels Opened Up About The Toughest Part Of His Return
Kendal Daniels made a swift and important return for the Falcons after the neck injury he suffered in Week 6, and the rookie linebacker wasted little time reminding everyone why Atlanta wanted him on the field. Cleared after medical evaluations showed no structural damage and no concussion, Daniels came back to help the Falcons knock off the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, leading the team with 11 tackles while also making plays that helped swing the game.
The toughest part of the comeback, though, was not just getting back into a uniform and back into the middle of the defense. Daniels had to work through the reality of an injury that naturally lingers in a players mind, even after the doctors clear him, and his return carried the extra weight of doing it in a high-profile win against one of the NFLs hottest teams. For Atlanta, the encouraging part is not only that Daniels was available again, but that he looked like a central piece of the defense the moment he stepped back in. [Read more 🡒]