It appeared the AtlantaFalcons were set up for another frustrating losson Thursday night after an early turnover gave an extra possession to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers quickly went up 7-0 and appeared to have what was a previously helpless Falcons team on the ropes. However, the defense settled in and would rattle Jordan Love early and often allowing the Falcons to score 27 straight points and put the game away early in the second half.
Credit is owed to Jeff Ulbrich, who is not only playing without his top two pass rushers, but without your best corner in A.J. Terrell. Still, the Falcons had no problem finding ways to register pressure and get off the field in third down situations. While it is the execution of the players that allows results, Ulbrich doesn't have the most talented roster, but shut down the Green Bay offense and put the Falcons in a position to take control.
This is very similar to what fans watched the first week of the season against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Week 2 can be thrown out defensively as the roster let go of the rope after Cooper Rush imploded the team's chances with ugly turnovers and an inability to do anything other than hand the ball to Bijan Robinson.
With this in mind, Ulbrich deserves a healthy level of credit for what Atlanta has accomplished defensively. It isn't just the raw numbers, but the defensive rotation and finding ways to create pressure without one star option at the position.
Falcons Fans Must Credit Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich After Incredible Defensive Effort
It was in many ways fitting that the game would end with a Xavier Watts interception allowing the Atlanta offense to take the field to bleed out the clock. The Falcons simply couldn't have hoped for better early-season results from the unit considering the injuries and suspension for James Pearce Jr. Ulbrich has proven to be an incredible hire that is one of the very few pieces that survived from the previous regime.
Jordan Love was miserable on Thursday, looking shaken very early on and never settling back in. While the sack numbers are underwhelming the quarterback was under fire all night forced to move around and out of the pocket playing perfectly into Atlanta's hands.
It will be interesting to watch how the unit continues to develop and if the return of Penix was all that is needed for Ulbrich to once again exceed expectations. A season after finishing first in the NFC in sacks, the Falcons yet again have a unit that is exceeding expectations and that is credit to Ulbrich.
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