Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich on Facing Colts' Jonathan Taylor: 'He's Given Me Nightmares'

The Atlanta Falcons have struggled to stop the run as of late. Losing linebacker Divine Deablo to a broken arm in Week 7 certainly hasn't helped, as Atlanta has lost all three games he's missed.

Now the Falcons head to Germany and face arguably their biggest challenge on defense of the season: Stopping Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts' No. 1 offense.

Taylor leads the NFL in rushing yards, touchdowns, and runs over 20 yards this season, and the 7-2 Colts lead the NFL at 32.2 points per game. While the Colts' absence from the postseason isn't quite as long as the Falcons' (2020 vs. 2017), Taylor has played in relative obscurity on the national level the last four seasons.

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That's changed this year as the Colts are flying high under third-year coach Shane Steichen.

“I don't know if it's because maybe it's a smaller market in Indianapolis," Ulbrich answered this week when asked why a former All-Pro hasn't gotten as much national attention.

"I couldn't tell you that because every time I've gone against him, he's just given me nightmares. He's a guy that is so explosive. He's so fast. He has such elite vision. He has contact balance. They can block it for five, and he can make it 25. He's complete in every way. Plus, he's a good receiver out of the backfield.

"It feels as though this is the first year, I think, that he's really getting the national attention. I think that's probably a byproduct of the team playing so well.”

The Colts were the No. 1 seed in the AFC before the Broncos moved to 8-2 on Thursday night, but they have a chance to reclaim the top spot with a win over the Falcons. Ulbrich knows in order to keep that from happening, the Falcons will have to stop the run better than they have in recent weeks.

"From a schematic standpoint, I've got to devote the resources to the run game at times," Ulbrich said. "Provide enough hats in the box to handle them. But ultimately, you stop the run with fundamentals and mindset. So, getting off blocks, setting edges. Really good tacklers. Getting off blocks, setting edges, eliminating space, and being really good tacklers, that's going to be the key.”

Ulbrich understands it's not just Taylor that has made the Colts' offense dangerous this year. A resurgent Daniel Jones is playing the best football of his career at quarterback. Michael Pittman will remind a lot of Falcons fans of Drake London, a big play threat in Alex Pierce, who is averaging 20.9 yards per catch, and they have a dynamic rookie tight end in Tyler Warren.

"It's not only the number one offense this season, they are on a historic pace for points and yards," Ulbrich said. "So, to beat an opponent like this, it's like I said, we've struggled as of late – not only defensively, but as a team. And to get out of a rut like this and to create some momentum and get going in the right direction, you want to play a really good opponent, a complete component. And that's what we're facing.”

The Falcons have played up to the level of the better teams this year and have sunk well below the level of the lower teams. The Colts are probably the most complete team they've faced this season, and they'll need to get Taylor and the offense off the field if they want to avoid slipping to 3-6 on the year.