Atlanta Falcons’ Defense Emerging as Early NFL Force in 2025 Season

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – Through the first two weeks of the season, it appears that the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive experiment is paying off.

They harassed J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and held them out of the end zone in the 22-6 win. By the time the final whistle had sounded in Minneapolis, the Falcons had accumulated 11 quarterback hits on 16 pressures with six sacks.

Sunday’s performance cemented a two-week trend for Atlanta’s refreshed front seven.

Pressure generated by defenses through 2 weeks
- Label = Average # of pass rushers per snap pic.twitter.com/RxaprdMhE1
— Stat Acccount (@AcccountStat) September 15, 2025

In Week 1 against Tampa, the Falcons produced the ninth-best pressure rate in the NFL (40.5%), but they led all teams with a 53.3% pressure rate on Sunday.

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Atlanta was particularly impressive in short-yardage situations. The Vikings ran 11 'short-yardage' plays (defined as either one to two yards) against the Falcons on Sunday, and went the wrong direction, accounting for -4 yards. They had a pressure rate of 60% in these situations.

“We talked about having to stop the run early, and those guys really went out and buckled down on the run,” Morris said after the game Sunday. “It forced [the Vikings] to be one-dimensional, and they were able to get after them.”

The Falcons held the Vikings to just 78 yards rushing, forcing McCarthy into more passing situations. The front seven pinned their ears back and punished McCarthy.

With the Vikings going backward much of the night, Atlanta’s defense posted the NFL’s best EPA/play in Week 2, by a wide margin.

This was all part of their plan, and Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich noted that this was going to be their style of defense all summer.

“We will dictate how this game goes,” Ulbrich said during the first weekend of training camp. “And to do that, there has to be, in my opinion, a little bit less of a read element, more of an ‘attack mentality.’ So, that's what we're ingraining in these guys.”

Through two weeks, that plan is working, and despite a small sample size, the early returns have been there.

Through two weeks, Atlanta ranks second in yards allowed per game (229.0), passing defense (139.5), and points allowed (14.5), while sitting fifth in sacks (7).

The rushing defense is ninth in the league, but it is allowing just 89.5 yards per game. Again, the sample size is small, but this would only be the second time in the last 20 years that they have held their opponents below 100 yards rushing per game (2011 being the other).

Atlanta invested heavily in this unit over the offseason, bringing in veteran players like Leonard Floyd and Divine Deablo, while drafting four more contributors and leaning on two more along the defensive line to step into new roles with Brandon Dorlus and Ruke Orhorhoro.

All eight have made a positive impact through the first two weeks.

“These guys are doing it, our coaching staff is willing to do it [putting young players out there], and these guys have done a great job,” Morris said. “They came ready to go right from the beginning.”

Atlanta’s defense was billed as a work in progress after a major offseason investment, with some even criticizing their aggressive moves in the draft last April.

Two weeks in, the results are undeniable: speed, pressure, and depth across the front seven are evident. If the early dominance holds, this may be the foundation that finally changes the Falcons’ defensive identity.