‘Remarkable’: Kendal Daniels goes from hospital to Falcons’ savior in 7 days
ATLANTA — For several seconds, Kendal Daniels rested on his back and clutched perhaps the best piece of football memorabilia he’s ever collected.
This time, the rookie linebacker rose to his feet, jogged to the sideline, high-fived his teammates and, at last, surrendered his prized possession — the football — to a staff member. He then ripped off his helmet and jubilantly jumped along the sideline, the natural result of a 23-year-old following the self-proclaimed “craziest week of my life” with the best day of his NFL career.
Daniels recovered a fumble with 47 seconds remaining, pairing it with an interception two minutes earlier to seal a 29-20 victory for the Falcons (3-4) over the 49ers (6-1) on Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
One week earlier, Daniels didn’t get the chance for any of it. For the first time in his life, he didn’t walk off the field. After a scary hit, he stayed on his back and was strapped to a backboard, stretchered off the field and taken to a local hospital. For 10 minutes, football stopped. Teams froze. All eyes were on Daniels.
Inexplicably — and previously unseen before by his young teammates, old veterans and even coach Kevin Stefanski — Daniels went from an ambulance last Sunday to the star of the show this Sunday.
“That’s remarkable,” Stefanski said. “Truly.”
During his news conference after the Falcons’ loss to the Chicago Bears on Oct. 18, Stefanski spoke of Daniels being conscious and having movement in his extremities. He talked to Daniels’ family and dealt with the emotions of what appeared to be a serious neck injury.
On Sunday, Daniels led the Falcons with 11 tackles, including one for loss, and nabbed the first two takeaways of his NFL career. He also wore the green dot, communicating play calls to his teammates and leading a stout defensive effort while holding the 49ers to their fewest points this season.
“That’s unbelievable to just do that,” Stefanski said.
Daniels entered Sunday afternoon uncertain if he was truly ready to play. He cleared all medical checks, practiced fully Wednesday and Friday and went through the week with no setbacks. He spent the previous seven days making sure he was fine mentally and wouldn’t play timid.
Still, doubts persisted until he took the field for pregame warmups.
“I wasn’t scared,” Daniels said, “but I definitely thought — because I haven’t been in full pads all week — like, ‘What if I’m not OK?’”
His first hit during pregame warmups settled any nerves. He was good to go. And he never slowed down. Daniels’ first tackle of the game was a four-yard loss, and his second saved a touchdown.
On a day where the Falcons played without team captain and typical green dot Divine Deablo, who’s battling a forearm injury, Daniels catapulted into a role of great importance. The Falcons’ defense didn’t skip a beat.
“Honestly, it was a surprise to everybody that he was back this week, just after such an incident like that,” outside linebacker Samson Ebukam told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Just goes to show the type of people we got in this locker room — people that ride for each other, want to play for each other.
“So, just seeing him out there, doing what he’s doing, leading with Deablo not here — it’s pretty cool.”
After the 49ers scored a touchdown with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to trim their deficit to 26-20, an air of definition lingered over the situation. How the Falcons finished Sunday’s game felt like it may dictate the direction of their season. There is, after all, quite a difference between 2-5 and 3-4.
The Falcons’ offense responded with a quick three-and-out. That put the ball in 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s hands. Soon, Purdy put the ball in Daniels’ hands — literally.
On third-and-9 from his own 48-yard line, Purdy dropped back, looked left and fired for receiver Jordan Watkins. The ball never arrived. Daniels, with his 6-foot-5, 242-pound frame and 32½-inch arms, skied above and deflected the ball to himself. He ran 29 yards, going out of bounds at San Francisco’s 19-yard line to set up the Falcons’ game-sealing field goal.
Daniels’ teammates — the same ones who took a knee around him, who watched him lay motionless on the same turf seven days earlier, who marveled at the speed of his return — raced to the end zone and celebrated with him.
“That’s what you expect from a guy like that,” defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. told the AJC. “He’s a dog.”
With less than one minute remaining and the 49ers marching downfield in a do-or-die moment of desperation, Falcons safety Jessie Bates III punched the ball free from 49ers tight end George Kittle.
Daniels jumped on it. Game over. Victory sealed. Statement made.
Once Daniels finished his giddy gallop on the sideline, Falcons receiver Drake London walked over and hugged him. They shared battles — and plenty of trash talk — on the practice field during training camp. They were enemies then. They’re family now.
“He told me he loved me,” Daniels said. “And he just told me he loves the type of player I am. That’s my brother. I’ll fight for him in a heartbeat.”
When the Falcons returned to the locker room, Stefanski gave Daniels a game ball. One week ago, it was a joy to see Daniels walk into the locker room under his own power an hour after the game finished.
The NFL is a week-to-week league — look no further than the struggling Falcons upsetting the undefeated 49ers — but Daniels’ story isn’t some football dichotomy. It’s a marvelous act, a feel-good moment and further validation the Falcons hit a home run with their fourth-round swing.
“He’s got whatever ‘it’ is,” linebacker Josh Woods told the AJC. “He prepares unlike a rookie. Everything he does is pretty dope. For last week to go how it went, and then for him to have the game he had today, it’s a testament to his preparation. But also, he’s kind of got that X-factor, that ‘it’ thing about him.”