Falcons Linebacker Divine Deablo Receives High PFF Grade in Return

The Atlanta Falcons linebacker led the way in a defensive onslaught against the Saints and the latest PFF grades reflect that

Deablo was nearly unstoppable in his return | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons snapped a five-game skid as they beat the New Orleans Saints 24-10 on Sunday. The defense shone, sparked by the return of linebacker Divine Deablo, as they recorded five sacks, six tackles for losses, seven passes defended, eight quarterback hits, a forced fumble, an interception and held the Saints to 5/16 (31%) on third down while also keeping them out of the endzone offensively.

The defensive domination is reflected in the team’s PFF grades, with seven defenders earning a score of 70.0 or higher, with edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie’s 80.7 leading the pack. Deablo (79.5), defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus (76.7), safety Jessie Bates (76.0) and safety Xavier Watts (72.8) round out Atlanta’s top five highest graded defenders. 

Ebiketie recorded five quarterback hurries, a quarterback hit and a tackle. In his return to the field after what was essentially a five-game absence, Deablo had nine total tackles, three defensive stops and only surrendered two yards in coverage. He was the third-highest graded defender of the game, for either team. The linebacker also had a team-high 72.0 coverage grade.

Dorlus had four quarterback hurries, a sack, and a defensive stop. He currently leads the team in sacks with 6.0. Bates had seven total tackles and a quarterback hurry. He had a 70.2 coverage grade, the second highest on the team, and surrendered 22 yards in coverage.

Watts hauled in his third career interception to ice the Falcons' victory. He had five total tackles, and Tyler Shough had a 79.2 passer rating when targeting the rookie safety.

Atlanta only surrendered three points offensively, and their bottom-graded defenders also reflect their dominance. The team only had two players on the defensive side of the ball graded under a 60.0. Nose tackle LaCale London was the Falcons’ lowest graded defender with a 37.7 score. Defensive tackle Kentavius Street (46.9), cornerback Mike Hughes (60.5), cornerback Dee Alford (60.5) and linebacker Ronnie Harrison (61.4) round out Atlanta’s bottom five lowest graded defenders. 

London played just 17 snaps and recorded one tackle. He had a game-low 42.0 run defense grade. Street had three total tackles, but his 50.4 run defense grade was the third lowest on the team.

Hughes had six total tackles and three defensive stops. However, he had a 57.3 coverage grade, the second lowest on the team. Shough threw the ball at Hughes nine times, but only four of those resulted in completions, for 34 total yards.

Alford had nine total tackles, a batted pass and a quarterback hurry. However, his 58.8 coverage grade was barely better than Hughes’. Alford was targeted 10 times, allowing nine completions for 65 yards. Ronnie Harrison had one tackle and one batted pass; however, it was on a huge fourth-down play to stop the Saints from getting into the endzone.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Falcons put up one of their better showings of the season, led by the All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom, who received a game-high 85.9 score. Quarterback Kirk Cousins (83.3), wide receiver Darnell Mooney (75.0), center Ryan Neuzil (73.5) and tight end Felipe Franks (71.5) round out the Falcons' top five highest graded players on offense.

Lindstrom allowed just one quarterback hurry and zero sacks in 28 pass blocking snaps. He had a game-high 84.0 run blocking grade. 

Cousins bounced back in a big way. He’s seen the field in three games this year before Sunday and started in one game. In those games, his yards per attempt never exceeded 5.6 and his accuracy was questionable. Against the Saints, he completed 69.6% of his passes for nearly 200 yards (199) and two touchdowns, including a beauty to Darnell Mooney for 49 yards. 

After 11 games of waiting, the Falcons finally saw the Darnell Mooney of 2024. The receiver hauled in three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, his first of the season. Neuzil had his second straight game giving up zeros across the board in terms of pressure. He was also second on the team in run blocking grade with a 71.1. The Falcons used Franks in their own version of the tush push, and he converted it, picking up two yards. 

Atlanta’s bottom-graded players on offense show that a player who’s playing for a contract likely won’t be with the Falcons next season. Tight end Teagan Quitoriano was Atlanta’s lowest graded player, receiving a 49.6 score. Tight end Kyle Pitts (50.0), receiver KhaDeral Hodge (56.8), left guard Kyle Hinton (57.7) and running back Tyler Allgeier (59.8) round out the Falcons' bottom five.

Quitoriano had zero catches for zero yards and his 52.0 pass blocking grade was the second lowest on the team. 

The Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was the highest drafted tight end ever, but unfortunately, he just hasn’t panned out. On Sunday, he had two catches for 25 yards, and also had two drops, one of which was tipped into the air and returned by the defense for a touchdown. He had a team low 49.0 pass blocking grade, was seemingly benched in the second quarter, with Charlie Woerner coming into the game and recording three straight receptions.

Hodge had another game with triple zeros. He has three catches for 31 yards on the season. Hinton played just two snaps on offense. Allgier had 12 carries for 44 yards (3.7 yards per carry) and a catch for five more.

Other notable grades include: corner back Cobee Bryant (62.6), edge rusher James Pearce Jr. (62.8), running back Bijan Robinson (67.0), left guard Matthew Bergeron (67.1), left tackle Jake Matthews (69.3) and linebacker Jalon Walker (72.5).