Atlanta Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Credits Defense's Mindset vs. New York Jets

The Atlanta Falcons defense has played its best football of the season in the last two games.

When you invest as much as the Atlanta Falcons did into their defense, the hope is that unit will live up to expectations and answer the bell at every turn. 

The Falcons' defense has been the backbone of the team and put together another strong performance on Sunday in a 13-8 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The win over New York marked the second straight week Atlanta's defense hasn't allowed a touchdown in back-to-back games since their bye week. 

"It’s just the way you continue to work," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said. "There’s some things schematically we did today that change week to week. Whatever our third down plan is, you’re trying to take away, where you’re giving help to, mixing and matching. A lot of it’s being in tune." 

The Falcons forced three turnovers against the Jets / Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons (6-6) safety Jessie Bates had seven tackles, a pass defended and an interception on Sunday. Bates also had an interception that he ran back for a touchdown in Atlanta's 24-15 win over the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 26. As a whole, Atlanta forced three turnovers against the Jets.

Outside linebacker, Bud Dupree had his best game of the season with two sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.  

For the season, the Falcons' defense has allowed the seventh-fewest points per game (20).

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"This is the NFL, people are going to make plays but don’t give up [and] turn those into disasters and let them get momentum," Smith said. "That’s a credit to mindset, but a lot of things we’ve been trying to work on week to week, certainly coming out of the bye, and we’ll continue to try to do that."

The Falcons lead the NFC South thanks largely to their defense. If they can continue to play at a high level, Atlanta will have a shot to stay atop of the division and could have a chance to win the division for the first time since 2016.