PHILADELPHIA — The Falcons have hoped for defensive improvement in 2024. Beyond Raheem Morris, a respected defensive coordinator, taking over as coach, the team made two splashy additions in edge rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons during the preseason.
The unit had a solid debut against the Steelers despite the loss. It held Pittsburgh to 18 points on six field goals. It limited quarterback Justin Fields to 156 yards passing (the Steelers clearly weren’t opening their playbook for him, though). The Steelers averaged 3.3 yards per rush.
Bottom line: The defeat wasn’t because of a disappointing showing by the defense. But it’ll need to be even stouter against the Eagles in Philadelphia on Monday night.
“From the small sample size, I think they played a really good game last week,” Eagles running back Saquon Barkley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Obviously they didn’t get the win, but I think they’re a tough team. They run to the ball pretty well. They attack the ball with violence. It’s going to be a fun matchup. They have good players at every level, especially the safety positions. Both of those guys are All-Pro caliber players. So I look forward to going against them.”
The Eagles gained 410 yards in their 34-29 opening-game win over the Packers in Brazil. Barkley had 132 total yards and three touchdowns. The terrific receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 203 yards on 13 catches. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a couple of touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and fumbled twice (one lost). If the Falcons are going to win Monday, it’s likely they’ve baited Hurts into mistakes (something they failed to do against Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields, and the Steelers didn’t turn the ball over).
Philadelphia wouldn’t reveal much of what it’s learned about the new-look Falcons defense. The AJC asked Barkley if there were shades of the scheme Morris used with the Rams, but he responded, “I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out, right?” with a smile.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged that there’s much to learn about what every team is trying to do this time of year.
“There’s not a lot to study,” he said. “You look at (the Falcons’ exhibition games), and they were in 1-personnel (one tight end, four wide receivers, no running back) the whole time. You look at their last week’s game, I’m speaking offensively, they were in completely different personnel. We know there are a lot of unknowns. It’s still like your first game of the year where there’s a lot of unknown because the way they played the Steelers isn’t necessarily going to be the way they’ll play the Eagles.
“But you see similarities to some of the Rams’ stuff they were doing from last year. I just know I have a lot of respect for coach Morris. He’s a really good coach who’s done a good job in this league as a defensive coordinator for a long time. So I know we’ll have to be ready to go.”
In adding Judon and Simmons – along with the obvious quarterback Kirk Cousins addition – the Falcons made an emphatic statement that they feel they can win immediately. Judon and Simmons have a case as two of the three most talented defensive players, alongside staple defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
Simmons and Judon are well-respected throughout the NFL for their track records.
“That’s two All-Pros right there,” Barkley said. “Judon, he plays at a really high level, really great motor. Got to go against him in camp, too. Got to see how he works. Respect the way he works. It’s going to be a tough matchup. Really good game. I think so far, early in the process of scheming things up, I think we like our scheme, and we just have to go out there and execute.”
An offseason earlier, the Falcons added safety Jessie Bates III, who’s commonly considered among the five best at his position. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lauded Bates during his press conference Thursday.
“He’s a great all-around player, been doing it for a very long time,” Hurts said. “Him and Simmons, those are two guys you have to know where they are. … Those are two guys, even out wide, A.J. Terrell is a pretty good corner, pretty good player. That’s how this league is. In the end it’s about executing and making a good decision (to get the best of other good players).”
The Falcons are trying to avoid an 0-2 start, which is all the more important with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs coming to Atlanta the following weekend.
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