Despite Sunday’s NFC South matchup against the Carolina Panthers having “trap game” written all over it, the Atlanta Falcons came out on top with a 38-20 win to improve to 4-2 on the season.
It was a hard-fought division matchup and the Falcons showed their ground attack could carry the offense the way the passing game did in Week 5. Defensively, the Falcons continued to bend but not break in key moments, forcing two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Clark Phillips had the best game of his short career while linebacker Nate Landman was dominant in his return from the injured reserve list. Pro Football Focus released its NFL Week 6 player grades and the two Falcons defenders earned elite marks.
Landman led the way with a PFF grade of 94.3 and Phillips was right behind him with a defensive rating of 93.0. Check out Atlanta’s five highest-graded players from Sunday’s win over Carolina below:
- LB Nate Landman: 94.3
- CB Clark Phillips: 93.0
- RG Chris Lindstrom: 89.0
- LG Matthew Bergeron: 82.9
- RB Tyler Allgeier: 82.2
This week’s grades also highlight just how good the Falcons’ rushing attack was against Carolina. The next three highest grades were right tackle Kaleb McGary (80.6), running back Bijan Robinson (78.8) and center Ryan Neuzil (78.7).
Raheem Morris gave the game ball to the offensive line following Sunday’s victory. “When you win football games and you run for 200 yards, you gotta give the game ball to the whole O-line,” Morris told a rowdy locker room.
The Falcons will get a short break from NFC South play in Week 7 when they host the Seattle Seahawks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After that, it’s another division matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.
