The Atlanta Falcons don’t lack star power. They’ve invested in quarterbacks, loaded up on offensive weapons, and built a defensive line designed to finally pressure opposing passers. But heading into a Week 4 matchup against the Washington Commanders, the most important Falcon isn’t any of those headliners. It’s the veteran safety tasked with keeping the defense on track: Jessie Bates III.
Atlanta’s Week 3 collapse raised a familiar question: who steps up when the team gets humbled? Bates’ answer was clear, it starts with him and the defense.
“We got to stop the run. That’s any week,” he said. “It don’t matter who’s the quarterback … they both have amazing talent with being able to extend plays. On the back end we got to make sure we’re defending the first play and then the second play as well.”
That “second play” (the chaos after a quarterback escapes the pocket) is where Bates could become Atlanta’s X-Factor. Against the Commanders’ mobile quarterbacks, Bates knows that discipline could be the difference between forcing a punt and giving up a back-breaking big play.
Jessie Bates III offers the Falcons everything they need in a must-win game
But his impact goes beyond the field. What makes Bates the Falcons’ X-factor this week is how he responded to last Sunday’s beatdown.
Instead of pointing fingers—which would have been easy to do to an offense that scored 0 points— he preached accountability. The three-time captain admitted he missed a potential momentum-swinging stop on fourth-and-three in the opening drive, the kind of play he knows the defense needs to deliver when the offense struggles.
“You’re gonna have games like that where your offense is struggling or the special teams is struggling,” Bates said. “But your defense has to create a turnover, create a momentum play … that really could have changed the momentum of that game early.”
That willingness to own mistakes matters, especially for a roster filled with young players still learning how to handle adversity. Bates made sure that lesson wasn’t lost after the blowout.
“Sometimes a game like that can force guys to start pointing fingers,” he said. “But I think overall we kind of know that’s not our style of play, and you got people taking accountability. You got Mike [Penix] walking up to the defensive guys like, ‘Hey, I got to be better for y’all.’”
That’s why fans should look past the quarterback debate and focus on the veteran wearing No. 3. His ability to set the tone, erase mistakes, and steady a young defense is what could be Atlanta’s biggest asset against Washington, whether it’s Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota at QB.