Falcons Defense Snaps Franchise Record That Stood for 28 Years

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons have snapped their franchise record for sacks in a season (55) during their Week 18 matchup with the New Orleans Saints. The team came into today’s game just two sacks shy of tying the record, and Kentavius Street, LaCale London, and James Pearce Jr. each recorded a sack to get the Falcons to 56 and up over the franchise mark.

The record had stood since 1997, and these two seasons stand as the only instances in franchise history that the Falcons have eclipsed the 50-sack threshold.

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | WATCH

The Falcons are taking on a rookie quarterback whom they sacked five times in their first meeting, and only seven teams have allowed more sacks this season (45) through the first 16 games of the year. The Falcons reached the franchise mark in the third quarter and will have some more time to build on this new mark.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said earlier this week that he appreciates the value of reaching this record. Still, he was not planning on doing anything apart from the game plan to achieve it.

“I think it's pretty cool,” he said. “Obviously, we want to win the game. We want to play really good defense. We want to do whatever's necessary to win this game. But at the same time, it’ll be something for the guys that were part of that record to really put something into the record books. I think that's always cool. Outside of winning, that's something that they could be proud of.”

After many years of floundering in the pass rush, the Falcons finally feel like they have figured this position out. Atlanta had reached the 40-sack threshold, as a team, just once in the last 20 years, and fewer than 20 sacks twice in that same timeframe.

Their 52 sacks coming into today’s game rank second in the NFL, and rookie Pearce has led the charge for the Falcons. His 8.5 sacks coming into today are the most for any Falcons rookie since 1982, and the most for any player in this franchise since 2017.

After he added a pair of sacks in the third quarter, he moved to 10.5 on the season and became just the eleventh player since 2000 to reach double-digits.

But it was more than any one player, and the pass rush has hit opposing offenses like arrows in the night this season.

What happens next for the Atlanta Falcons? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Falcons news delivered to your inbox daily!

Brandon Dorlus and his 8.5 sacks were unavailable on Sunday, but the Falcons will have several prominent contributors ready to get after Tyler Shough and the Saints on Sunday. Atlanta has 16 players who have added to their overall total, and nine have 3.0 sacks or more.

No matter if they reach the record or not, the 2025 season has been an outstanding step forward for the future of the Falcons’ pass rush. Now the Falcons’ defense has a nice feather in their cap after an otherwise disappointing season.