What does it feel like for the Atlanta Falcons to have a veteran safety like Jessie Bates III on the field? According to first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, it’s like having an extension of the coaching staff on the field. “From the first day he arrived, the way he’s in the building, the way he’s on the practice field, he’s a coach on the field.” Bates “wants to know the answers,” Nielsen said. “He wants to line up guys.” When something goes wrong, he wants to be the fixer, the eraser, and so on. The guy is a huge football fan. Every day he comes into the building, he is the same guy, which you appreciate.
There are no extremes. “You know what you’re getting with Jessie.”
Bates has not only been a natural leader on defense for the Falcons in an otherwise young locker room, but he has also been a playmaker in the secondary. After joining an Atlanta secondary that was near the bottom of the league in interceptions, the former Cincinnati Bengal now leads the team with four, including a 96-yard pick-six against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
While the pick-six put the Falcons on the board against the Saints, Bates’ biggest play arguably came later in the game.
The Saints offense had a chance to take the lead after quarterback Desmond Ridder paid for an ill-advised throw to a tightly covered Van Jefferson with his second interception. And that appeared to be the case when the Saints reached the Falcons’ 19-yard line on a nine-yard Taysom Hill run, prompting Bates to punch the ball free, giving his offense another chance to put the game away.
Bates’ forced fumble was his third of the season and his seventh overall, as he continues to provide a spark when the Falcons need it.
The sixth-year safety earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his two takeaways against the Saints, as he also led the team in tackles with 12.
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