Falcons vs. Jets: Who was the defensive player of the game?

I can heart it now: it was the Jets. Zach Wilson is an awful rookie QB. And while all of that is true, this defense took advantage of the situation and managed to hold another NFL team to just 20 points, even after being setup for failure by a long kickoff return to start the second half. Let’s take a look at the guys who made the biggest difference.

Grady Jarrett

The most consistent, high-quality player on this Falcons team has been this man in the middle. While his stat line isn’t going to win him any awards in this game, it was clear he made an impact. He was regularly involved with blowing up the Jets offensive line and he may have literally destroyed 3 of them at once on the sack that Ogundeji got credit for. Just a reminder that this game goes beyond the stats. Jarrett’s presence was felt on Sunday.

Ade Ogundeji

The rookie pass rusher had one of the team’s two sacks on the day and showed why there’s some cautious optimism about his future with the team. He also had a perfect form tackle that stopped a passing play dead in it’s tracks. This guy has some incredible potential and he showed flashes of it today.

Jaylinn Hawkins

The second year safety has been getting buzz all year and we finally saw that pay off. Early on in the second quarter, he jumped the pass intended for Keelan Cole and intercepted it, ending the Jets drive and giving Atlanta the ball back. Let’s hope this is a sign of more to come.

Dean Pees

Let’s be honest: this defense is sorely lacking in talent right now. Losing guys like Isaiah Oliver didn’t help either. This unit has been inconsistent but there are signs of improvement, especially from some young guys. The veteran defensive coordinator had these guys in the right spots for most of the game and it was a solid performance from them overall.

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