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

Your initial inclination may be to cringe at celebrating the Falcons defense - and I get it. They blew an 18 point lead and looked dreadful in the fourth quarter. However, several guys stepped up in a big way during the game that deserve recognition for their efforts. Please take these guys into consideration.

A.J. Terrell

This 2nd year corner is turning into one of the best in the league right in front of our eyes. Yes, it was against Trevor Siemian. Yes, it was against a wide receiver corps that is without Michael Thomas, Yet, what Terrell did was nothing short of fantastic. He had 3 pass deflections on the day and allowed just 2 receptions for only 19 yards on 5 targets.

The fact that he can punish teams for targeting him and plays coverage well enough to be targeted infrequently is a huge deal.

James Vaughters

He really only had a couple of notable plays during the game, but one of them was a game-changer. His strip-sack of Trevor Siemian was a game-changing moment and directly lead to a touchdown pass that extended the Falcons lead. Vaughters has earned the trust of the coaching staff and appears headed for a bigger role.

Deion Jones

He had some ugly misses in this game, but he offset that with a strong overall defensive effort. He had 10 tackles and 2 pass deflections with 1 QB hit for good measure. His best football is still in front of him, but he mostly had a positive impact in this game.

Grady Jarrett

The stats this year are not lighting up the stat sheets, but his presence is being felt. He batted down a pass in the game, racked up 5 tackles and continued to be the only defensive lineman consistently generating pressure.

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