The Falcons offense had a hard time finding its way to the end zone for most of Sunday night’s game in Minnesota, but their defense kept that from being a major problem.
By the time running back Tyler Allgeier finally scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, the Falcons were already well on their way to a victory. The defense forced three turnovers, sacked J.J. McCarthy six times and held the Vikings without a touchdown in a 22-6 win.
The performance was a sign that the Falcons have made some good moves in the last couple of drafts. 2025 first-round picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce recorded sacks while third-round pick Xavier Watts and fourth-round pick Billy Bowman had interceptions. 2024 draft picks Brandon Dorlus and Ruke Orhorhoro also had sacks, which led head coach Raheem Morris to say “those young guys came out and played.”
“It’s what we talked about all throughout the offseason, those guys having big roles for us whether it was rushing, whether it was ball hawking for us. Both of those things were on display today,” Morris said, via the team’s website. “I can’t say enough about those young guys. I can’t say enough about what they’ve done. They’re learning how to play football every single day. They are learning how to live this NFL life every single day and they’re loving it and they’re embracing it.”
The Falcons were 8-9 last season and finished 23rd in points allowed. Sunday night showed that they have the potential to be stingier this season and that could be enough to nudge them into playoff position in the NFC this time around.
