Jessie Bates III Rewards Falcons Investment in Win vs. Panthers

Jessie Bates III played arguably the best game of his professional career in his Atlanta Falcons debut, with the sixth-year safety wreaking havoc on the Carolina Panthers' offense throughout Sunday's contest.

Halfway through the third quarter of Sunday's season-opening 24-10 victory inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III took his place in the middle of the secondary and awaited the snap.

Across from him stood Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young, the draft's No. 1 overall pick. At the time, the Panthers held a 10-7 lead and had momentum at their back.

Young dropped back, looked left, turned right and quickly set his feet, firing a pass intended for Terrace Marshall Jr. on 3rd-and-6 ... but the pass never reached him.

Instead, Bates came flying down, jumping the route and intercepting Young's pass before sending a gesture to Carolina's sideline.

Two, Bates emphasized - holding up his middle and index fingers to remind the Panthers of how many interceptions he had through just two and a half quarters.

Bates' first interception of Young came late in the first quarter and gave Atlanta's offense the ball inside Carolina's red zone. The result was the Falcons' first touchdown of the season, an 11-yard catch-and-run from rookie running back Bijan Robinson.

The second time around, not only did Bates stall the Panthers' momentum, but he set up another scoring opportunity.

With Atlanta's passing offense struggling, coach Arthur Smith opted for three straight hand-offs before settling for a 49-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo to tie the game.

The ensuing drive, Carolina was marching down the field and had just entered Falcons territory when running back Miles Sanders took a carry up the middle.

Sanders exploded through the middle of Atlanta's defense for a 10-yard run - before Bates stepped in and knocked the ball out of his hands, with Lorenzo Carter recovering the fumble.

It was Bates' third forced turnover of the game, and the Falcons offense followed suit by putting up points for the third time after such a play.

Running back Tyler Allgeier punched in a three-yard touchdown to put the Falcons on top, and they never looked back, surging to victory. Atlanta scored 17 of its 24 points off of turnovers forced by Bates.

It's rare that a safety can change games in the manner that Bates did on Sunday, but the Falcons knew he had the skill set to do it and rewarded him this spring, making him the fourth highest paid safety in the league with a four-year, $64 million contract.

Investments aren't always immediate, but Bates is different - and he proved it in a big way against Carolina.

"There were some things that he anticipated, and he's a great player," Smith said after the game. "That's why we signed him."

Bates' two interceptions are a career high, as are his three total turnovers. He tied with linebacker Troy Andersen for the team lead with 10 tackles, even though he missed a handful of snaps after sustaining an upper-leg injury in the fourth quarter before eventually returning.

Without Bates, who's also one of five team captains, Sunday's game could very well have gone a different direction - and the same is true for a number of other free agency signings, including linebacker Kaden Elliss and defensive tackle David Onyemata.

Elliss made nine tackles from the middle of Atlanta's defense. Onyemata pitched in four more while adding two quarterback hits, a pass deflection and a tackle for loss.

Atlanta's big free agency investments - with those three making $120.5 million combined - delivered for defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen in his regular season debut.

The early returns are rewarding ... and for Smith, it's merely a sign of things to come.

"There's a reason we wanted to get those guys in our program," Smith said. "Those guys were in tune with everything."

The next opportunity for Bates and the rest of the Falcons to continue delivering on lofty expectations comes next Sunday, when Atlanta hosts the Green Bay Packers at 1 p.m.

And while it'll be difficult for Bates to one-up his career day on debut, the high standard he's established feels like it's only the beginning of a potentially beautiful pairing.