Falcon Report

Atlanta Falcons BREAKING: Jessie Bates III Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Jessie Bates III played his best game of the year for the Atlanta Falcons against the New Orleans Saints.

Jeremy Brener

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Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is receiving league-wide recognition after his performance on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Bates was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 12 after scoring off a pick-6 and forcing a big fumble in Sunday's win against the Saints.

Bates picked off Saints quarterback Derek Carr in the first quarter for a 92-yard pick-six.

Then, Bates came in the clutch again with a huge turnover at the end of the third quarter.

Atlanta Falcons defensive back Jessie Bates III / Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints were driving down the field, hoping to capitalize off a Desmond Ridder interception and they made it inside the 20-yard line. However, Taysom Hill ran into Bates, who was able to punch out the ball before he hit the ground. The ball was recovered on the 10-yard line by defensive lineman Albert Huggins, who gave the ball back to the offense for a crucial turnover.

After the Falcons secondary surrendered the eight-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks and tenth-most passing touchdowns in 2022, they were in desperate need of some improvements in their secondary, and they got that by stealing Bates from the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency by offering him a four-year contract potentially worth more than $64 million.

Bates’ contract is the fourth largest in the league at his position group, but none of that will matter to ownership so long as he produces on the field and helps elevate Atlanta’s secondary.

Bates and the Falcons are back in action Sunday against the New York Jets. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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