Falcons vs Panthers: Vote for the defensive player of the game

The Falcons defense won’t be mistaken for a good one, but they have beat up on two bad offensive units the past couple of weeks, which is a clear sign they can improve from this injury-riddled season. Several names stood out during the game, so make your pick for who stood out the most.

Jack Crawford

With a half-sack and a huge drive-killing interception, Crawford had a big game against Carolina. He also did a good job of generating pressure and has quietly been one of the better defenders on the team in 2018. He absolutely deserves to be back in 2019.

Takk McKinley

Though he only walked away with half a sack, McKinley was regularly generating pressure during the game. He was disruptive throughout the afternoon and was regularly laying big hits on the QB a split second after the ball came out. He’s been coming on lately, so let’s hope that’s a good sign for what he can do in 2019.

Desmond Trufant

After a rough start to the year, Trufant has bounced back nicely in recent weeks. He had several big pass breakups, including a beautiful one that likely prevented a touchdown in the end zone. This is the Trufant fans wanted to see all year. It’s nice to see him playing well again.

Grady Jarrett

What can be said that hasn’t already been said? He did have a sack, but it was ultimately ruled roughing the passer in one of the worst penalties I’ve seen all year. Grady regularly put the Carolina interior OL on notice, as he was constantly blowing up the pocket all afternoon. Pay. The. Man.