The Falcons’ 29-20 upset of the 49ers on Sunday was a statement win, but it was Jessie Bates III who turned it into a nightmare for San Francisco.
Atlanta knocked off Kyle Shanahan’s unbeaten group for its first loss of the season, and the defense drove the result. Jeff Ulbrich’s unit kept the NFL’s No. 1 offense to 20 points while forcing four turnovers, a haul that made the difference in one of the season’s biggest surprises.
Bates was everywhere. He piled up nine tackles, broke up two passes, grabbed an interception and forced a fumble in a performance that put him squarely in the conversation for NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
It also pushed him into rare air. According to Falcons beat reporter Tori McElhaney, Bates now has six career games with both an interception and a forced fumble, making him one of only four players to do that six times over the last 30 years.
The numbers get even more striking when you narrow the lens to his time in Atlanta. Bates has five such games since arriving with the Falcons in 2023 after beginning his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. Across the last four seasons, that total leads the league by a wide margin, with nobody else having more than two.
Atlanta’s win moved the club to 3-4, and the picture in the NFC South tightened after the Carolina Panthers lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Falcons sit just a half-game behind first place as the season moves toward its midpoint, and Bates’ brand of game-changing football could keep this defense in the spotlight well into December.
In Other News...
Raheem Morris Returns With A Test Michael Penix Must Answer
Raheem Morris is set to come back to Atlanta in a new role, this time guiding the undefeated 49ers defense instead of running the Falcons. For a team still trying to settle in under Michael Penix Jr., the matchup adds a familiar face to an already meaningful stretch, especially with the quarterback facing another early test in his development.
Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is expected to see Morris across the sideline when San Francisco visits. The reunion gives the Falcons a look at a coach who once led their sideline, and it puts Penix in front of a defense built to make life difficult as Atlanta tries to keep moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Harris Falcons Revival Is Slipping Away Fast
Christian Harris came to Atlanta this offseason looking for a reset, hoping the Falcons could offer the kind of fresh start that once seemed out of reach after injuries knocked him out of his job with the Texans. He got an early look during OTAs and appeared to have a path into the linebacker mix, but the room has shifted quickly around him as younger players have pushed their way up the board.
What looked like a chance to revive his career has now turned into a waiting game, and not a very encouraging one. Harris has slid behind Kendal Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr. and others, leaving him with a shrinking role and a spot on the roster that feels increasingly fragile as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Exit Put Falcons Offense In A Tense Spot
For a stretch in the third quarter against the 49ers, the Falcons had to make do without Drake London after he went off the field for a concussion evaluation following a helmet-to-helmet hit. Atlanta was already leaning on its top wideout, and before the injury scare, London had a team-high five catches for 43 yards, a reminder of how central he has become to the offense.
The good news for the Falcons was that London was eventually cleared and returned to the game, easing what could have been a much bigger concern in a tight spot. Even so, any time a receiver with that kind of role leaves the field after a hit like that, it puts the offense on edge and leaves Atlanta watching closely for the next update. [Read more 🡒]