Jessie Bates gave the Falcons one of the few real bright spots in their Week 8 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he did it with a play that changed the game in the moment.
With Tampa Bay knocking on the door at the one-yard line, Bates delivered the kind of peanut punch he’s made his calling card, knocking the ball loose from Bucs running back Bucky Irving and forcing a fumble out of the end zone. Instead of a touchdown, Atlanta got the ball back.
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That forced fumble carried more weight than just one drive. According to Tori McElhaney, Bates became the first Falcons defender since Jessie Tuggle in 1990 to force a fumble in three straight games. That snapped a 36-year drought for Atlanta.
And Bates isn’t just piling up splash plays against the Falcons’ backdrop of frustration. Through eight weeks, only Fred Warner and Quincy Williams have forced more fumbles in the NFL than Bates, who has four on the season. For a team sitting at 3-5, that makes his value impossible to miss.
Bates has been one of the league’s best at mastering the peanut punch, and after a slow start he’s been playing at a high level for weeks. In a season where Atlanta has plenty of problems, his ability to create turnovers and steady the defense has stood out.
That’s why the conversation around him is so straightforward: the Falcons need to extend him. He’s in a contract year, the trade deadline is approaching, and Atlanta shouldn’t be thinking about moving him. If anything, the price is going up.
Spotrac projects his market value at around three years and $50 million, which would put him at an average of $16.7 million per year. That’s not far off the $16 million annual deal he signed with the team the first time around.
At this point, it’s hard to make the case for waiting. Bates is still producing at a high level, and even the source material notes he has out-played Xavier Watts this season. The Falcons aren’t getting a draft pick or a replacement back that would mean more to their defense than Bates does right now.
There’s also the age factor, but safety is one of the positions that can age more gracefully than most. Harrison Smith is still going at 37, Kevin Byard is 33, and Tyrann Mathieu retired at 33. Bates is nearing 30, but that doesn’t make this a risky bet in the same way it might be elsewhere on the field.
For Atlanta, the message is simple: keep Jessie Bates in place and pay him before the number climbs any higher.
In Other News...
Falcons Head To Madrid With New Concerns And A Possible Boost
The Falcons are heading into their trip to Madrid still trying to shake off a strange 16-0 loss to Tampa Bay, one that stood out even by the standards of an off day. Atlanta did not allow a completed pass and still came away empty, a reminder that the defense did enough in one area but the offense never found a way to turn the game into anything manageable.
Kevin Stefanski said the injury picture is not getting cleaner before the matchup with Cincinnati, with Samson Ebukam and Zachariah Branch both unavailable because of hamstring issues. There is at least one potential lift on the horizon, though, as James Pearce Jr. is back in the conversation after completing an eight-game suspension, giving Atlanta a possible reinforcement as it tries to steady itself on an international stage. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Got Outplayed In The Exact Way They Wanted To Win
Rainy conditions in Week 8 turned into a ground-game test, and it was Tampa Bay that controlled it. The Buccaneers leaned hard on the run and came away with a 16-0 win, while Atlanta never found the same kind of rhythm on the ground despite having Bijan Robinson in the backfield. It was the sort of game the Falcons usually want to make their own, only this time they were the ones getting pushed around in it.
The matchup carried a little extra edge because Zac Robinson was on the other sideline as Tampa Bays offensive coordinator, facing Atlanta for the first time since leaving. Instead of the Falcons dictating terms with their rushing attack, the Buccaneers were the more effective and more committed team in that phase, which only sharpened the frustration for Atlanta. For a club built to lean on the run, getting outplayed there is the kind of result that lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Got A Huge Pass Rush Boost At The Right Time
The Falcons got a timely lift for a pass rush that could use it, reinstating edge rusher James Pearce Jr. and making him eligible to rejoin the mix for their Week 9 matchup against the Bengals. Pearce led Atlanta in sacks last season, and his return gives the defense a proven edge presence at a point in the schedule when pressure off the corner can change the tone of a game.
To clear the way, Atlanta moved on from defensive lineman Jared Ivey and defensive end Drake Jackson, a reminder that roster churn is part of the cost of getting healthier. The bigger question now is how quickly Pearce can slide back into the rotation and whether the Falcons can turn that added pressure into the kind of disruption they have been looking for all season. [Read more 🡒]