With two sacks by James Pearce Jr., Falcons break franchise record
It was only a matter of time before the next quarterback sack came.
After getting two sacks in the first half, the Falcons tied their franchise record for most sacks in a season. With two more by rookie James Pearce Jr. in the third quarter, they set a new mark with their 57th.
Kentavius Street had a sack in the first quarter and Dee Alford had one midway through the second quarter for the team’s 55th sack, tying the record set by the 1997 team. Sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
The Falcons have revived their pass rush this season.
Brandon Dorlus and James Pearce Jr. are tied for the team lead with 8.5 sacks, and Jalon Walker is second with 5.5 sacks.
The Falcons “Grits Blitz” defense of 1977 had 41.5 sacks in a 14-game season, according to Pro Football Reference. The 1978 team had 47 sacks in 16 games, and the 1980 team had 46 in 16 games.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said of the pass rush last week. “Obviously, we want to win the game. … That’s something that they could be proud of.”
Also, Pearce has the modern era (post-1982) record for most sacks by a Falcons rookie. However, he needs three more sacks to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey for the all-time franchise record. Humphrey had 11.5 sacks as a rookie in 1968, according to Pro Football Reference.
Pearce had his streak of seven games with at least a half-sack snapped against the Rams.
“For him to get that, it’s just reinforces that he’s on the right track,” Ulbrich said. “At the same time — and I’ll keep saying this probably as long as I’m with him — there’s still meat on the bone there. There’s still a lot of potential and there’s a lot of stuff that we need to still get out of his body. It’s going to be a scary day when all of his stuff comes together.”
It’s been a collective effort for the Falcons, with 16 players registering at least a sack.
“We’ll be able to tell our kids that I was part of that defensive back group when we broke the franchise sack record as a group,” Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
