In the Atlanta Falcons' Week 3 win over the Green Bay Packers, it's fairly easy to highlight who the biggest surprise was: C.J. Henderson. With A.J. Terrell on IR, the Falcons had no choice but to roll with Henderson as a starting cornerback opposite Mike Hughes--and it's clear who the weak link was.
While Hughes spent all night getting torched, Henderson looked like the best cornerback on the field in the 34-15 win. The veteran corner logged a team-high eight tackles, but also was making plays in coverage, as he recorded three pass breakups, including one where he knocked the ball away from Christian Watson to prevent what would've been a first down.
C.J. Henderson putting out DB teach tape 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/DwQbix8xaC
— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2026
If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked like prime Revis Island out there with the coverage he was putting on. And it seems that as long as Terrell is sidelined, Atlanta will need someone to lock down opposing WR1s, starting with this Monday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
In the primetime matchup with the division rivals, the Falcons will need to deal with their WR1: Chris Olave, who has been one of the most productive wideouts in the league this season. His connection with Tyler Shough is the main reason that Shough has been one of the best QBs in the NFL this year.
The Atlanta Falcons need C.J. Henderson to neutralize Chris Olave on Monday
Don't get me wrong: Matthew Golden and Christian Watson are both good receivers, but not on the level of Chris Olave. Only Olave's former Ohio State teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba (405) has more receiving yards than him (375), he and JSN are tied for the league lead in receptions, and no receiver in the NFL has been targeted more than No. 12 across the first three weeks of the season.
This is certainly cranking it up a notch, and it's fairly obvious this will be a tougher test for the former top-10 pick. But iron sharpens iron in this league, and if he's able to turn in another quality performance, it'll make it much easier to trust Henderson as a starter even once Terrell returns.
The other thing is that behind him, there aren't many Saints players on offense for the Falcons to be worried about. Travis Etienne is unlikely to play, Alvin Kamara is into his 30s and has lost a step, and guys like Devaughn Vele and Bryce Lance, are nowhere near as threatening as Olave-- a guy who has went either over 100 yards or scored a touchdown in every game this season.
The only other Saint we have to worry about is Juwan Johnson.
That makes the 28-year-old stepping up all the more important. If he doesn't, it makes the chances of knocking off the Saints on the road and taking the lead in the NFC South that much tougher. We know the defensive line will show up. But it's less clear of how well Henderson and this secondary will be able to slow down Olave and this high-octane passing game.
The good news here is that the Saints are one of the most inconsistent teams in football, and if we see the side of Tyler Shough that was stifled by the Falcons in their two previous games, C.J. Henderson will do his best A.J. Terrell impression to take Olave out of the game completely.
And if he locks down Chris Olave, it'll likely be the difference between a win and a loss.
Add us as a preferred source on Google