Maason Smith gave the Falcons exactly the kind of defensive jolt they needed in Sunday’s win over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers.
Smith put together one of his best outings of the season, finishing with two tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and a forced fumble. Atlanta leaned on that kind of impact to help create pressure and force turnovers against a San Francisco offense that came into the game unbeaten.
“Just seeing everything fall into place, man. It felt good,” Smith said.
The Falcons made stopping the ball a priority all week, especially with San Francisco bringing its own reputation for taking it away. Smith said Atlanta knew the margin for error was going to be small.
“That was kind of one of the biggest keys to victory for us going into the game, man, just wanting to win the turnover margin,” Smith said. “We knew on the other side that they do a very good job about getting the ball out.”
Smith said the defense stayed locked in on the plan and pounced when the chances came.
“I think we did a great job of attacking the ball, man, and sticking to the plan that we needed to do to get the victory,” he said.
The game marked a clear uptick for Smith, who had just four tackles through Atlanta’s first six games. After Sunday, he’s up to nine tackles on the season, along with one sack, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and one forced fumble.
It also adds another layer to a trade the Falcons made in the offseason, when they landed Smith from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for 2024 second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro. It was a rare player-for-player deal, and even rarer because it involved the same position, the same round and the same draft.
Smith knows one strong showing is only useful if it leads to more. Atlanta will try to carry that edge into Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he’s focused on making Sunday a launch point.
“Just use it as momentum, man, going into next week, getting back to the win column, and just continue to grow from there,” Smith said.
If he keeps producing like this, the Falcons may have found another valuable piece on their defensive front as they try to turn one big win into something steadier.
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Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. have both flashed enough in Deablos place to make the roster conversation more complicated for the front office. With those rookies giving the Falcons production and flexibility, Deablos future in Atlanta looks increasingly uncertain, especially if the team decides its money is better spent elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]