2025
2025 season · Weeks 1 to 22 · 8-9
Falcons defense
Every snap the Falcons defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.01 EPA a play allowed, 15th of 32, and 0.02 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (13th).
- How they playThey blitz on 36% of dropbacks, the 6th-most in the league, and get pressure on 25%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 4.4 a carry, 23rd, and runs off left tackle gain 4.7 a carry.
- Who hurt themChristian McCaffrey (SF): 201 yards and +13.4 EPA on 32 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.01 | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.00 | 13th of 32 | 61st | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.02 | 25th of 32 | 23rd | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 45% | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 10% | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| Yards per play | 5.3 | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| Yards per carry | 4.4 | 23rd of 32 | 30th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 41% | 15th of 32 | 53rd |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 9.1% | 4th of 32 | 89th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 25% | 10th of 32 | 70th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 14% | 18th of 32 | 47th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 2.6% | 7th of 32 | 80th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 54% | 10th of 32 | 69th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 2.10 | 14th of 32 | 58th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.3 | 7th of 32 | 75th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.02 | 13th of 32 | 61st |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Falcons. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 7 of 17 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 2 against the Vikings, 0.35 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average +0.01 a play elsewhere, the 15th-toughest schedule of offenses.
vs TBL 20-23+0.11usual -0.01
at MINW 22-6-0.45usual -0.10
at CARL 0-30-0.01usual -0.04
vs WASW 34-27+0.11usual +0.00
vs BUFW 24-14-0.12usual +0.16
at SFL 10-20+0.03usual +0.09
vs MIAL 10-34+0.14usual -0.03
at NEL 23-24+0.01usual +0.17
at INDL 25-31+0.17usual +0.07vs CARL 27-30+0.13usual -0.05
at NOW 24-10-0.27usual -0.07
at NYJL 24-27+0.01usual -0.14
vs SEAL 9-37+0.15usual +0.02at TBW 29-28+0.04usual -0.01
at ARIW 26-190.00usual -0.02
vs LAW 27-24-0.10usual +0.16vs NOW 19-17-0.11usual -0.08Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is intermediate middle: +0.81 EPA a throw against a league +0.59. The lockdown zone is deep right, -0.17 a throw (league +0.34). Completions against them run 2.2 points under expected, 7th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 4.4 yards a carry against them, 23rd of 32. The leak is off left tackle: 4.7 a carry and +0.15 EPA (league 4.3, -0.05).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 18.221st | 144.120th | +0.2114th-toughest | 22.59th-most28.19th-most33.610th-most |
| Tight ends | 6.05th | 46.18th | +0.2116th-toughest | 6.03rd-fewest8.14th-fewest10.24th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 5.516th | 29.917th | +0.0621st-toughest | 17.616th-fewest19.715th-fewest21.715th-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 16.316th-most16.316th-most16.316th-most |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian McCaffrey | SF | 32 | 201 | 2 | +13.4 |
| Jonathan Taylor | IND | 35 | 286 | 3 | +12.1 |
| Emeka Egbuka | TB | 14 | 140 | 2 | +10.4 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | CAR | 20 | 178 | 2 | +10.4 |
| Ollie Gordon II | MIA | 11 | 66 | 1 | +8.6 |
| Jaylen Waddle | MIA | 6 | 99 | 1 | +8.0 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-4-to-6: offenses convert 40% against a league 44%. They are stingiest in the red zone (-0.12 a play, league 0.00) and weakest in 2nd down (+0.07, league +0.02).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 451 | -0.02 | +0.01 | -0.03 |
| 2nd down | 342 | +0.07 | +0.02 | +0.05 |
| 3rd down | 217 | -0.13 | -0.05 | -0.07 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 69 | 64% | 60% | +3 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 53 | 40% | 44% | −4 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 95 | 24% | 26% | −2 pts |
| Red zone | 169 | -0.12 | 0.00 | -0.12 |
| Two-minute drill | 135 | +0.02 | +0.03 | -0.01 |
| When they lead | 560 | -0.02 | -0.01 | -0.01 |
| One-score game | 760 | -0.01 | +0.02 | -0.03 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 95 | -0.02 | +0.04 | -0.06 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 36% of dropbacks and average 4.4 rushers; 65% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow +0.01 EPA when they blitz and 0.00 when they do not.
They put 6.5 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 8%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 5.0 a carry; into eight or more, 1.6.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 2 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.05 EPA against them on 23% of throws; screens -0.10.
44 defensive penalties for 374 yards, 26 of them first downs, the 9th-fewest. They miss 9% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 11th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
James Pearce Jr. leads the pass rush with 27 pressures and 10.5 sacks on 53% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90David OnyemataDT | 57% | 6 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 61 | |
| 98Ruke OrhorhoroDT | 54% | 8 | 3.5 | 6 | 4 | 24 | |
| 27James Pearce Jr.DE | 53% | 27 | 10.5 | 16 | 10 | 26 | 1 |
| 11Jalon WalkerLB | 44% | 13 | 5.5 | 9 | 5 | 35 | 2 |
| 56Leonard FloydDE | 43% | 19 | 3.5 | 11 | 5 | 18 | |
| 54Brandon DorlusDE | 42% | 14 | 8.5 | 11 | 11 | 24 | |
| 17Arnold EbiketieLB | 35% | 11 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 35 | |
| 94LaCale LondonDE | 25% | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 1 |
| 96Zach HarrisonDE | 23% | 6 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 2 |
| 93Kentavius StreetDE | 19% | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 21 |
Kaden Elliss plays 100% of the snaps with 105 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55Kaden EllissLB | 100% | 105 | 10 | 3.5 | 18 | 67 | 87.1 | 7 |
| 0Divine DeabloLB | 71% | 71 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 33 | 86.7 | 5 |
| 36Ronnie HarrisonLB | 23% | 29 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 84.7 | 6 |
| 40JD BertrandLB | 17% | 35 | 1 | 16 | 120.4 | 4 | ||
| 51DeAngelo MaloneLB | 2% | 8 | ||||||
| 42Josh WoodsLB | 1% | 14 | 3 | 113.9 | 1 |
Billy Bowman Jr. is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 71.6 passer rating on 27 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Jessie BatesFS | 99% | 47 | 27 of 47 | 345 | 3 | 77.9 | 3 | 6 |
| 31Xavier WattsSAF | 99% | 56 | 34 of 56 | 518 | 6 | 88.8 | 5 | 11 |
| 24A.J. TerrellCB | 85% | 64 | 34 of 64 | 397 | 3 | 81.6 | 12 | |
| 21Mike HughesCB | 65% | 72 | 41 of 72 | 531 | 5 | 91.3 | 1 | 7 |
| 20Dee AlfordCB | 54% | 79 | 53 of 79 | 571 | 4 | 82.3 | 3 | 13 |
| 33Billy Bowman Jr.CB | 28% | 27 | 18 of 27 | 219 | 71.6 | 1 | 2 | |
| 39C.J. HendersonCB | 15% | 11 | 7 of 11 | 83 | 1 | 97.2 | 1 | 3 |
| 37Cobee BryantCB | 9% | 14 | 11 of 14 | 175 | 1 | 116.3 | 1 | |
| 35Natrone BrooksDB | 6% | 9 | 6 of 9 | 133 | 1 | 146.8 | 2 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.