Tag: Jessie Bates

5 Falcons players to watch in Week 13 vs. Chargers

The Falcons have several dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball that could present problems for the Chargers in Week 13.

The Falcons made some big splash moves last offseason, and for the most part, it has paid off. Atlanta leads the lowly NFC South by two games with a 6-5 record.

The Falcons host the Chargers for a huge Week 13 matchup this weekend. Both teams are in the thick of the playoff races in each conference, with Los Angeles likely destined for a Wild Card spot.

Here are five Falcons players that the Chargers must keep an eye on for:

RB Bijan Robinson

Defensive coordinators don’t get the best sleep when they realize they face Bijan Robinson on Sunday. The Texas product is already one of the most dynamic players in the league in just his second NFL season. He has averaged 103.8 scrimmage yards per game this season and seven total touchdowns. He’s also a dynamic threat out of the backfield, as he’s caught 45 passes, fourth-most amongst running backs.

TE Kyle Pitts

Now that Atlanta finally has a competent quarterback, Pitts has been better in 2024. Through 11 games, he has 35 catches for 494 yards and three touchdowns. He’s had just one catch in two of his last three contests, so the Falcons may make it a point of emphasis to get him involved early. Pitts presents a matchup issue due to his unique speed/size combination, and the Chargers will likely use Derwin James to try and slow him down.

OG Chris Lindstrom

Lindstrom has evolved into one of, if not the best, guard in the league. He dominates the line of scrimmage for the Falcons offense, which opens up big lanes for Robinson in the run game. The Chargers defensive line has been stellar recently, so this is another key matchup to watch in Week 13.

LB Nate Landman

Landman has appeared in just seven games, all starts, for the Falcons this season. He’s made quite an impact, though, with three forced fumbles and 52 total tackles in those starts. The undrafted linebacker has made 21 starts over the last two years and has become a legitimate contributor for Atlanta. The Chargers must protect the ball, particularly around Landman.

S Jessie Bates

The Falcons signed Bates to a four-year, $64 million contract in 2023, and he’s been worth every penny. The seventh-veteran has become arguably the best safety in all of football. In 2024, Bates has 70 tackles, two interceptions, six pass deflections, and a career-high four forced fumbles. He’s well on his way to earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, and the Chargers must make sure Bates does not take over the game on Sunday.

DJ Reader latest former Bengals star to prove Cincy’s building wrong

DJ Reader, Joe Mixon, Jessie Bates and more — the players the Bengals let get away keep shining elsewhere.

A frustrating season for Cincinnati Bengals fans has been underlined in red ink with former key members of the team shining elsewhere.

DJ Reader is merely the latest.

Reader, now a member of the elite Detroit Lions defense, left this past offseason and has mostly kept up his usual level of play for the Super Bowl hopeful.

With Detroit, Reader has three sacks and four tackles for loss, each number more than he had last year over 14 games with the Bengals.

Perhaps more notably, he’s outpacing his replacement, Sheldon Rankins, who has appeared in seven games with the Bengals and posted one sack and tackle for loss. Due to a viral illness, he missed the game before the bye last week and will miss Week 13 against Pittsburgh, at a minimum.

Granted, the Bengals were attempting to replace Reader via a platoon of rookies, plus Rankins. But none of those guys were pure nose tackles like Reader. And while he entered free agency after a torn quad, so letting him walk was somewhat understandable at the time, the general idea of how to replace him certainly wasn’t.

But that doesn’t make it sting less when Reader is just the latest in a long line of whiffs.

Joe Mixon has revived his career in Houston. Jessie Bates is an All-Pro and the current state of the Bengals defense speaks for itself. Even Kevin Zeitler is still playing elite ball and would have been a Ring of Honor candidate, had they kept him.

At some point, this is a brutal reflection of the Bengals’ front office and Duke Tobin in how they do business and select players. Now, the results of critical mistakes are showing up big on the field — in Cincinnati and elsewhere in the NFL.

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Jessie Bates isn’t only former elite Bengals player at weak position right now

Another Bengals mistake still hurts them while the player they let get away shines.

By now, the Cincinnati Bengals are probably tired of hearing about how good some former players are doing with new teams.

Like Joe Mixon. And Jessie Bates, who earned an All-Pro nod last year and is right on his way to doing so again this season.

But they’re not alone.

One guy who often gets lost in the conversation? Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler, who as of this writing, has 90-plus PFF grades in each of his last two outings and is the overall third-highest-graded guard in the NFL.

Zeitler is an infamous, yet easy-to-overlook part of modern Bengals history. The team took him in the first round in 2012, seemingly only did so because they had two first round picks in that draft, then never made a serious push to give him an extension.

While Zeitler hasn’t been fantastic everywhere he’s been since, he’s 34 years old and still doing fantastic at a spot that is currently a problem for Joe Burrow’s offense. Really, they haven’t truly fixed it since his departure. Had Zeitler remained all this time, he’d be staring at a Ring of Honor spot.

Instead, Zeitler goes on the pile of solid guys the Bengals drafted and developed, then let get away. He’s not a Bates-level player, but he’s in that Andrew Whitworth-type mistake bracket that the team never really recovered from.

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Did Jessie Bates take a subtle shot at Bo Nix ahead of Broncos-Falcons game?

Falcons safety Jessie Bates went viral after he said there’s “10 years” of college film of Bo Nix, but that quote needs proper context.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates went viral on Friday after aggregation accounts on Twitter/X started re-sharing a video of him saying he’s been watching Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix playing at the college level for the last 10 years.

There’s some context to the quote, though.

Bates started his answer on Nix by saying the Falcons have enough NFL film to study from the QB’s time in the NFL.

“Ten games, usually, that’s enough film to really see a quarterback’s strengths or weaknesses or what they like to do,” Bates said on Friday, via Raphael Haynes of The 3 Point Conversion. “[There’s] kind of multiple years where we can go back and watch what he does. … We’ve been watching him in college for, you know, the past five or six years, however long it was.”

Media members then interjected “Ten years!” with laughter and Bates said, “Ten years, whatever it is.”

It seemed to be a harmless remark from Bates with the “10 years” quip being prompted by media in attendance.

“He’s not [like] a rookie quarterback — seems like he’s a graduate student almost,” Bates continued. “He’s doing a good job … running their offense at a high level.”

The Broncos do not view Nix’s extensive college experience as a negative. Coaches and players both said this offseason that Nix appeared more poised and polished than a typical rookie because of his college experience.

Nix spent five years at the college level before entering the NFL. Atlanta’s rookie quarterback, Michael Penix, spent six years in college.

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Falcons safety wants to make sure teammate isn’t ‘swept under the rug’

Falcons safety Justin Simmons wants to make sure teammate Jessie Bates isn’t being “swept under the rug”

The Atlanta Falcons offense came to life during Thursday night’s 36-30 win over the Tampa Buccaneers, but the defense also deserves credit for making some key stops in the second half. Safety Jessie Bates III forced a Buccaneers fumble to give the Falcons life in the fourth quarter.

While those around the NFL have mostly praised quarterback Kirk Cousins’ 509-yard, four-touchdown performance, Justin Simmons wants to make sure his defensive backfield mate gets the credit he deserves.

“Jessie is playing at [Defensive Player of the Year] level right now,” tweeted Simmons. “Want to make sure what he did on Thursday night isn’t being swept under the rug because of that outstanding ending from Red and the O.”

Simmons and Bates have been as good as advertised this season. Both players have made some big plays despite the defense’s lack of overall pass rush. Without the team’s strong defensive efforts early in the season, there’s no way Atlanta would be sitting at 3-2 and first in the NFC South.

Bates recorded the game-clinching interception in the Falcons’ Week 2 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Thus far in 2024, Bates has recorded 37 tackles (23 solo), one interception, three passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Cousins and the offense received heavy criticism early in the year but the veteran QB has knocked the rust off and is starting to let it fly again. The Falcons have another NFC South game on deck in Week 6 when they face the Carolina Panthers (1-4) on the road next weekend.

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Chris Olave is officially active for Week 4 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Despite suffering a hamstring injury on Friday, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is active and will play against the Atlanta Falcons:

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave suffered a hamstring injury on Friday, and Dennis Allen said Olave was day-to-day after practice. The expectation was that Olave would be a game-time decision.

Suffering an injury that late in the week will always put your status in question. When the Saints chose to bring up an offensive lineman from the practice squad instead of a wide receiver, it felt likely Olave would play.

Alongside Alvin Kamara and Rashid Shaheed, Olave makes up nearly the entirety of the Saints passing attack. He’s one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets, so Olave absence would have been greatly felt.

Luckily, the Saints won’t have to find out, because Olave is active and will play in Atlanta. His injury happened late enough in the week to where he was already fully implemented into the game plan. Olave and Shaheed will have a fun matchup against the Falcons’ secondary. Olave will see A.J. Terrell frequently in one of our matchups to watch.

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Falcons safety wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Falcons safety Jessie Bates has been awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Week..

Falcons safety Jessie Bates III has been an incredible addition since signing in Atlanta during the 2023 free-agency period. In his first season, Bates led the team with six interceptions and he’s off to another promising start in 2024.

The Falcons defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 thanks to some fourth-quarter heroics from two team captains. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a go-ahead touchdown with 34 seconds left and then Bates clinched the game with his interception of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Bates has been awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his herculean effort. 

https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/1836435062612480397

In Week 2, Bates finished with a team-high 12 tackles (seven solo), two passed defended, one tackle for loss and one interception against the Eagles. The 27-year-old is in his physical prime and playing some of the best football of his entire career. 

In 19 games with the Falcons, Bates has racked up 150 combined tackles, seven interceptions, 13 passes defended, one defensive touchdown and one safety. However, Atlanta’s secondary will be tested when the Kansas City Chiefs come to town in Week 3.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the team’s young playmakers present a tough challenge for the entire Falcons defense. Bates and backfield mate Justin Simmons need to play their absolute best for Atlanta to have a chance on Sunday night football.

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Former Bengals stars shining elsewhere while team struggles in same areas

The Bengals keep letting big names go and struggling to replace them.

The Cincinnati Bengals have let two major defensive stars go over the last few seasons and based on their play elsewhere, it would appear the team got it wrong on both counts.

Jessie Bates went out and earned an All-Pro nod last year during his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, and this past Monday, he made the game-sealing interception in primetime.

DJ Reader was the other name. In his first game with the Detroit Lions over the weekend, he played more than 50 percent of the snaps and earned a run defense grade over 70 at PFF.

The problem here isn’t that former Bengals are excelling elsewhere — it’s that they are excelling while the Bengals struggle in those areas.

At safety, Dax Hill flopped last year and has since made a successful move to cornerback. But the team had to go sign Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, essentially on an emergency basis, to correct course.

And right now, injuries have ravaged the interior of the defensive line to the point the team is working out a 34-year-old veteran while just hoping for a viable depth option.

To make matters worse, some of the money justifications for letting Bates and Reader walk haven’t played out well. The Bengals haven’t paid Tee Higgins an extension and he’s expected to leave via free agency. And fans know all too well about the wild Ja’Marr Chase extension drama that has hung over the franchise all summer, too.

There is some validity to the idea that making sure Joe Burrow and Chase are paid is more important than anything else. But when the Bengals are once again failing to replace top-tier talent that leaves by missing on draft picks, it makes it a much tougher pill to swallow.

While things aren’t necessarily at losing Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler in the same offseason bad just yet, so far, the Bengals haven’t achieved the proper follow-up success in these areas to justify routinely letting proven talent walk.

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Steelers OC Arthur Smith explains why Justin Fields ignored middle of the field vs Falcons

Justin Fields never even attempted a pass in the middle of the field last week.

The passing chart for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields looked odd but all-too-familiar last week. Fields threw to both boundaries but it looked like there was a force field between the hash marks and the football couldn’t get through it.

Fields finished with 156 passing yards. All of those yards came outside the hashes and more shallow throws.

But it turns out it was just offensive coordinator Arthur Smith who was scared of Falcons safety Jessie Bates. Smith addressed the media on Thursday and he instructed Fields not to test the middle of the field because of Bates. Smith even referred to Bates as Atlanta’s “Jason Bourne” whatever that means.

Bates finished with six tackles and no other stats of interest. So perhaps Smith’s strategy paid off. Nevertheless, this week against the Broncos, I’m not sure they have a player in the middle of the field to warrant such a drastic change in strategy.

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Falcons restructure Jessie Bates’ contract, create more cap space

According to Spotrac, the Falcons have restructured Jessie Bates’ contract, creating millions in cap space

The Atlanta Falcons added some big names to their roster during the 2024 NFL offseason, but signing good players costs money. After trading for Matthew Judon and signing safety Justin Simmons, the team had a cap deficit of nearly $1 million.

However, Falcons fans need not worry because general manager Terry Fontenot performed his usual brand of salary cap magic. According to a report from Spotrac, the team converted $11.25 million of safety Jessie Bates’ salary into a signing bonus.

This move would create $7.5  million in cap space, bringing Atlanta’s cap total to roughly $6.8 million heading into Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team still only has 52 players on the active roster, which could be an indication that another move is coming.

Bates signed a four-year, $64 million deal with Atlanta last offseason and the results were impressive. Bates led the Falcons defense with a career-high six interceptions. The secondary should be even better this season with the addition of Simmons.

Atlanta recently gave cornerback A.J. Terrell a four-year, $81 million extension, and Kyle Pitts could be next on the list if the fourth-year tight end produces this season. Pitts was limited at Wednesday’s practice due to a hamstring injury, but head coach Raheem Morris wasn’t overly concerned about it.

The Falcons will host the Steelers this Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The team released its first regular-season depth chart on Tuesday. Check back Wednesday afternoon for the team’s first Week 1 injury report.

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