Atlanta Falcons Defense Garnering National Attention

For the last decade and some change, the Atlanta Falcons have had a prolific offense, for the most part. MVP Matt Ryan, dominant Julio Jones, league leader in yards from scrimmage Bijan Robinson, etc. But this season, the team has one of the best defensive units in the NFL, and the national media is starting to take notice.

Former NFL safety Darius Butler came onto the Pat McAfee show on Wednesday as he broke down the Falcons’ defensive performance against the Buffalo Bills.

“Let’s start with good D [defense], one of the best defenses in the National Football League, coming off a hot primetime win,” Butler said. “This [Falcons] defense as a whole is allowing under 160 yards per game when it comes to passing … Number one scoring defense,” 

Through five games of Falcons football, Atlanta’s defense is currently giving up the fewest yards per game, surrendering 253.4 total yards per game. They have held all five teams they faced this season under 300 total yards of total offense, an impressive feat considering the Bills had 300 or more yards of offense in every other game this season.

The team has also held every quarterback it faced to under 200 passing yards, including the reigning MVP Josh Allen (180 yards) and the red-hot Baker Mayfield (167 yards). Outside of the Falcons game, Mayfield has not had fewer than 215 passing yards this season.

And it’s not just veterans leading the charge for the Falcons' new look defense. Butler made sure to point out how impressive Atlanta’s youth has been in the defensive turnaround.

“Got a lot of rookies out there playing in some premier spots, playing big time ball,” Butler said.

The Falcons have four rookies contributing significantly to their defense this season. Linebacker Jalon Walker, edge rusher James Pearce Jr., safety Xavier Watts and defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. Each rookie has been making plays, but none more so than Watts, who two weeks ago was named as the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month. 

However, the biggest difference maker has been defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. 

“So shoutout to Brick [Jeff Ulbrich] and the boys over there in Atlanta, turning things around,” Butler said.

Ulbrich took over a team that was 31st in sacks and 28th in pressure percentage in 2024. In 2025, they are currently 11th in sacks (played one less game than most other teams) and sixth in pressure percentage. A marked improvement. They also improved from 23rd in total defense in 2024 to 1st. Ulbrich has been nothing short of impressive through the first month and a half of football this season.

With a suffocating secondary, relentless pass rush and a coordinator who’s getting the most out of his players, the Falcons have completely flipped their identity, and the nation is taking note.

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