The Atlanta Falcons only gave up three points in their win against the Miami Dolphins on Friday night, but it could have been a lot more if the defense didn't come in clutch.
During the first half, the Falcons stopped the Dolphins three times in the red zone ... the first coming on Miami's opening drive where rookie Demarcco Hellams came away with an interception in the end zone.
“It doesn’t matter how close they get into the end zone, there are no points scored until you get across that line," Hellams said. "So we just had that mindset. It doesn’t matter how they got down here, let’s just make sure that they don’t score.”
But it didn't stop there. The Falcons found themselves again in the red zone twice more in the first half, and the aggressive Dolphins were willing to go for the first down on fourth and short. But each time, the Falcons came away with a stop.
“We preach being salty in the red zone, and that’s going to help us win games in the regular season and hopefully in the postseason,” linebacker Nate Landman said.
The defense is expected to be better this year under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen and several free agent signings including Jessie Bates, Kaden Elliss, Calais Campbell and David Onyemata.
But it will take more than those four veterans to improve the defense. Several young players, like second-year linebacker Arnold Ebiketie, will have to step up. Luckily for the Falcons, it appears the young players are responding well to Nielsen's system.
“Coach Ryan (Nielsen) talked about it. Pretty much, all the coaches talk about it, just next play," Ebiketie said. "No matter what happened this play, at least give us another opportunity to defend the end zone.”
Defending the end zone they did, and if the Falcons can keep teams out of the end zone, it will make the offense's time a lot easier and lead to more Atlanta wins.
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