In a season that will end in disappointment, there is still a lot to be proud of if you are the Atlanta Falcons. They have pulled off two big upsets, both on Monday Night Football, and found two things they thought they would never have: a pass rush and a good defense.
Coming off a suffocating game against MVP-favorite Matthew Stafford, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich gave the highest praise for his unit and their intriguing future.
Ulbrich said he feels like this #Falcons defense is starting to "flirt with mastery" in some ways.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 31, 2025
Ulbrich has 23 years of experience in the NFL (10 as a player, 13 as a coach) so hearing him say something like that speaks volumes.
Falcons are finally on the cusp of having a fearsome defense
There have been hints of promise for the Falcons' defense going back to when Ryan Nielsen was coordinating the unit in 2023. However, they never had a complete unit and struggled with consistency.
This season, things have been much better. Ulbrich has brought a new type of nastiness and effort. He is getting the most out of every player and helped gather one of the best 2025 Draft classes in the league.
Looking at this season, the Falcons have been a defensive team in the majority of their games. While they haven't always been perfect (hence why Ulbrich said they are flirting with mastery), they have come up big against some strong teams.
Taking out scores given up by the offense or special teams, they have allowed zero touchdowns in two games and two or fewer in eight games. They have gone through multiple lulls this season, allowing three or more touchdowns in eight games, seven of which came in an eight-game stretch.
We have seen brilliance; they suffocated good quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Matt Stafford. They just need to clean up the other games. That said, some of the inconsistencies have been a result of the offense or special teams. How many times have we seen games shift because of a mistake on those two units?
In the first game against the Panthers the game got out of hand on a Michael Penix Jr. pick-six, against the Jets it was a muffed Jamal Agnew punt inside the ten, against the Seahawks it was a 100-yard Rashid Shaheed kick return touchdown (plus many offensive turnovers), and on Sunday, a Jared Verse blocked field goal for a touchdown nearly led to a Falcons loss.
Point being, the defense has stepped up despite a lot working against them. Hopefully, Ulbrich will be retained in a coaching staff change because his energy and leadership have given this team something to build around.