Falcons At Cowboys: Coach Dean Pees Has Atlanta D ‘Growing Up’

Atlanta defensive coordinator likes the progress he's seen from his defense as the Falcons prepare to take on the high-flying Dallas Cowboys.

The Atlanta Falcons will face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and the 4-4 Falcons have improved on the season in large part because of their defense.

Year over year, Atlanta has improved from 29th to 17th in total defense and from dead last in passing defense in 2020 to 13th after eight games in 2021.

The Falcons defense gave up over 400 yards twice in its first four games while only doing so once in its last four. It's no coincidence that Atlanta has flipped its record over that period from 1-3 to 3-1.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees was asked specifically about star cornerback A.J. Terrell's comfort level in his defense, and like always, the Falcons coach was hesitant to single out an individual.

"I just don't think everybody truly knew coming in how deep and complex our defense kinda is," said Pees.

"It's a lot more than what people think. But if you keep doing it. ... it's just like anything. If you take four hard classes in college, it's going to be a tough semester. If you take one hard class and three easy ones, you just concentrate on the one."

"It's a lot. I knew it's a lot, but the only way you're going to get to where you eventually want to get, is to keep doing it."

"All of a sudden things start making sense a little bit more. I think the whole defense as a whole has gotten better and better each week."

"We've still got a long way to go. We have a huge playbook. The more you do it, the more comfortable guys become overall. Not only A.J., I just think everybody, Foye [Oluokun], all of them."

"I know everybody wants immediate gratification. Don't we all? But sometimes you gotta go through some growing pains."

"You've gotta stay the course."

Considering the lack of resources the Falcons were able to allocate to the defensive side of the ball in the offseason, the improvement on that side of the ball has been dramatic under Pees.

The main imports on defense included a pair of journeymen safeties in Erik Harris and Duron Harmon and a reserve cornerback in Fabian Moreau.

Atlanta will have its biggest test yet in the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Dallas has the league's No. 1 offense and No. 4-ranked passing offense.

Atlanta enters the game an 8.5 point underdog on SI Sports Book, and the Falcons will need their best defensive effort of the season to come back from Dallas with a win.