Falcons' emotional Week 7 victory proved why Kendal Daniels is so special

At this time last week, the Atlanta Falcons weren't even sure if they were going to see rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels play again this season. After his facemask collided with Colston Loveland's knee in the Week 6 loss to the Bears, he suffered a gruesome injury in which his neck was immobilized before he got stretchered off the field and later transported to the hospital.

Thankfully, he was only taken to Grady Memorial as a precaution and was seen walking in his own power in the locker room an hour later. And it later came out that all initial reports were positive before Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said he wasn't in the concussion protocol, which was even better.

For as crazy as it sounds, the fourth-round pick was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Friday and would suit up in Week 7 just a week after a frightening injury scare. But that's not all, as with Divine Deablo inactive, Daniels would wear the green dot and call the defense in lieu of Deablo/

That's a level of toughness you rarely see in this modern NFL. This injury could have ended his season and/or threatened his career, and he played on Sunday as if nothing was wrong. That is a dog mentality that according to Daniel Flick, two NFL veterans in Josh Woods and Samson Ebukam were floored by such an unprecedented situation.

And it's safe to say that Daniels made all the difference in the 29-20 victory. He enjoyed the best game of his NFL career, as he played all 66 defensive snaps for the Falcons, which is incredible given the circumstances, but the rookie LB was also the main reason they won this game in the first place.

The Falcons won this game in large part due to winning the turnover battle, which is something that wouldn't have happened if not for the 23-year-old. With Atlanta leading by six with just over two minutes to play, He tipped a Brock Purdy pass and picked it off, returning the interception nearly 30 yards to set them up inside the red-zone--which ultimately led to the game-sealing field goal.

The Atlanta Falcons unleashed LB Kendal Daniels against the 49ers

But it doesn't end there. On the 49ers' next possession, Jessie Bates III forced a fumble on a catch-and-run from star tight end George Kittle, and Kendal Daniels was the one who fell on it to seal the win. So on the Dirty Birds' final two defensive possessions, he logged a pick and a fumble recovery.

Moreover, the former Oklahoma standout amassed a career-high 11 tackles (nine solo), a TFL, and a PBU--and he led the team in tackles. The Falcons are well aware of how integral No. 53 was to the victory--as Stefanski revealed after the game that Daniels received a game ball for his performance.

Those are some real heroics for a player who likely didn't expect to play on Sunday, and given he's the main reason they ended the 49ers' undefeated season, his performance confirmed what we already knew by now: the Atlanta Falcons found an absolute gem in this kid, and his fight is second to none.

Daniels himself even referred to the last week as the "craziest of my life", and Stefanski referred to what he did as both "remarkable" and "unbelievable". The story and the resilience is just incredible, and it also goes to show you how much can change across a seven-day span in this league--and oftentimes it's bigger than just football. We all can learn a thing or two from his resilience.

Kendal Daniels rose to the occasion not only in the face of his own injury, but Deablo's as well, and this performance only made it more clear he's a future cornerstone for this defense and is one of the biggest steals from the 2026 NFL Draft.

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