Jessie Bates III Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Then, Bates came in the clutch again with a huge turnover at the end of the third quarter.

The Saints were driving down the field, hoping to capitalize off a Desmond Ridder interception and they made it inside the 20-yard line. However, Taysom Hill ran into Bates, who was able to punch out the ball before he hit the ground. The ball was recovered on the 10-yard line by defensive lineman Albert Huggins, who gave the ball back to the offense for a crucial turnover.

After the Falcons secondary surrendered the eight-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks and tenth-most passing touchdowns in 2022, they were in desperate need of some improvements in their secondary, and they got that by stealing Bates from the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency by offering him a four-year contract potentially worth more than $64 million.

Bates’ contract is the fourth largest in the league at his position group, but none of that will matter to ownership so long as he produces on the field and helps elevate Atlanta’s secondary.

Bates and the Falcons are back in action Sunday against the New York Jets. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.