Beasley named NFC defensive player of the week

Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. was named the NFC’s defensive player of the week on Wednesday.

Beasley Jr. had three sacks and scored his first career touchdown in Atlanta’s 42-14 win over Los Angeles.

He is the first Falcon and 10th NFL player with three sacks and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

Beasley is tied for the league lead with 13.5 sacks. He leads the league in forced fumbles with six.

Beasley’s sack-to-pressure ratio this season is off the charts.

League-wide this season edge rushers convert pressure into sacks about 15 percent of the time, while Beasley has converted pressure into a sack 28.6 percent of the time, according to profootballfocus.com.

Against the Rams he had six total pressures, but three of them were sacks, and one was the perfect pass-rushing trifecta of a sack, forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown.

This year there have been few pass-rushers to make as many impact plays as Beasley.

About the Author

As offense struggles, Falcons looking to help QB Michael Penix Jr. more

The Atlanta Falcons rank 27th in the league in scoring, and players see room for improvement.

1h ago

Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. on his play: ‘I’m human. I’m not perfect.’

The Falcons quarterback shares his thoughts on the team's third-down issues, being hard on himself, Tyler Allgeier, who he leans on and more.

Falcons’ DeAngelo Malone headed to injured reserve

Atlanta linebacker DeAngelo Malone, a key special-teams player, broke his ankle in the loss to the Colts.

The Latest

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

As offense struggles, Falcons looking to help QB Michael Penix Jr. more

1h ago

Dirty Birds Dispatch: Can the offense save the season?

Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. on his play: ‘I’m human. I’m not perfect.’

Featured

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

The University of Georgia could soon limit the number of foreign workers it employs, a result of the $100,000 fee imposed on some H-1B visas.

Georgia judges deal blow to ICE’s new mandatory detention policy

The ruling is a first-of-its-kind to come out of Georgia’s Middle District.

At the Cobb jail, a new kind of rehabilitation starts at the horse barn

Joshua Arp is one of two Cobb County jail detainees taking part of the sheriff’s office new equine therapy program meant to help him stay out of jail.

1h ago