For the better part of the last decade, the Atlanta Falcons have struggled to receive production from their defensive line. Their 31 sacks in 2024 ranked 31st in the NFL, and the last Falcon to record a 10-sack season was Vic Beasley Jr in 2016. But at last, the narrative finally seems to be changing surrounding the Dirty Birds' once-dreadful defensive front.
This offseason, Atlanta made it clear that mediocrity in the trenches would no longer be tolerated. The Falcons retooled the unit this offseason, signing Leonard Floyd to a one-year $10 million deal and drafting both Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. And under new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, those changes paid off in Week 1.
In Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers, Atlanta's defensive line recorded no sacks, but their impact was still felt by generating some good pressure on Baker Mayfield. That pressure led to heightened successes on blitzes, as the Falcons were one of nine teams to generate pressure on over 50% of their blitzes in Week 1.
Teams that generated pressure on more than 50% of their blitzes in Week 1:
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 11, 2025
🐏 Rams - 83.3% pressure rate (5 on 6 blitzes)
🌊 Seahawks - 83.3% (5/6)
⭐️ Cowboys - 83.3% (5/6)
🦅 Eagles - 75% (3/4)
🐎 Broncos - 72.7% (8/11)
🟥 Patriots - 66.7% (10/15)
⛏️ 49ers - 60% (3/5)
🪶… pic.twitter.com/EtwG9UmXp2
Falcons' pass-rush needs to replicate this production against the Vikings
The defensive line has always been an area in need of improvement, and Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris finally figured it out. With four pressures on Mayfield, Pearce Jr tied Giants EDGE Abdul Carter for the league lead in pressures among all rookies, and Walker put his All-Pro level upside on display last weekend.
This statistic also enforces the schematic change felt going from Jimmy Lake to Ulbrich. The Falcons blitzed more than every team on this list aside from the Patriots and Vikings—who they'll face in Week 2—which will make for a daunting task against Minnesota's fearsome unit up front.
According to Pro Football Focus, Vikings first-round rookie Donovan Jackson led all guards with an 88.1 pass block grade and his 74.3 PFF grade ranked eighth at the position. However, the Vikings will still be without Christian Darrisaw, as the fifth-year tackle is still rehabbing the torn ACL and MCL he suffered last October.
The next step, of course, is turning those pressures into sacks. Atlanta amassed no sacks in Week 1, and a big key to stunning the Vikings is doing as much to disrupt J.J. McCarthy as possible. And after trading a 2026 first-rounder to draft Pearce, all eyes are on the former Volunteers star to immediately produce.
Between Floyd—who has tallied 8.5 or more sacks in each of the past five seasons,—Arnold Ebiketie, and the two rookies, the foundation is set to shed its reputation and bring a domiannt defensive front to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
If the Falcons can finish plays and close the gap between near-misses and quarterback takedowns, the days of bottom-tier sack totals could soon be a thing of the past.