The Atlanta Falcons finally snapped their five-game losing streak in Week 12, as their 24-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints finally gave fans a glimmer of hope. And the timing of the win coincided perfectly with breakout linebacker Divine Deablo's long-awaited return from injured reserve.
The 27-year-old was on pace for a career-year before suffering a forearm injury against the 49ers back in Week 7, but Raheem Morris opted to be conservative with rushing him back. And his eight combined tackles and six solo tackles all but confirmed that it took no time for him to return to 100%.
Deablo signed a two-year $14 million deal with Atlanta this offseason and has played a pivotal role in the Dirty Birds' stark defensive turnaround under Jeff Ulbrich. His versatility has helped Ulbrich be able to disguise coverages, which is why it's no surprise his return saw the Falcons enjoy their best defensive performance in years.
Falcons snapped their losing streak as soon as Divine Deablo returned from IR
According to Pro Football Focus, in his first game back from IR saw him log a 79.5 PFF grade while his 78.5 run defense grade led the team and ranked 10th among all qualified linebackers. Moreover, his 82.7 tackling grade ranked fifth at the position, and this was after missing four consecutive games.
Ulbrich's defense held the Saints to just 10 points, but they failed to surrender a touchdown as their only touchdown came on a Kirk Cousins pick-six. The defense also held Tyler Shough and the New Orleans offense to just 3.76 yards per play—which marked their lowest allowed total since 2018.
The defense has struggled mightily against the run, and that was especially prevalent in Deablo's absence. Jonathan Taylor ran for nearly 250 yards against this run defense in Berlin back in Week 10, but the run defense improved considerably against the Saints despite those struggles.
Alvin Kamara and sixth-round rookie Devin Neal combined for just 28 rushing yards on 10 carries (2.8 YPC), as New Orleans' running back room was stifled by a fantastic performance from Atlanta's front seven. And given the fact it resulted in a road victory against an NFC South rival makes it even better.
After the win, Morris was quick to praise Deablo for his impact in the victory, which was abundantly clear to anyone who watched this game. And that impact should only continue across the Falcons' final six games of the season.