Here’s what the Falcons had to say after the 29-10 win over the Colts on Sunday:
CALAIS CAMPBELL, defensive end
On the defense’s play: “Today was the best that we played all year. It was good to see. A lot of young guys stepping up and making plays. Zach (Harrison), it was great to see him get two sacks. Clark (Phillips) stepping up. Just guys taking turns, making plays. It was a tremendous to see. I think the rush and coverage goes together. Stopping the run. Physical. That had a couple of plays that they are going to play. It’s football and they are talented, but I feel that all in all we had a great game plan. We executed at a high level. But really it was fun to play football. That’s how it’s supposed to be. When you are doing it right it’s funs.”
On stopping Colts running back Jonathan Taylor: “I made sure that I let guys know that he’s different. I’ve gone against him before, and his speed is different. Do not take it lightly. Make sure you understand that when you’re in the game. All of their guys are good. You see they have potential, but (No.) 28 is different. So, a lot of it was the linebackers coming down him and getting to him before he gets going because he has that different level of speed. A lot of it was setting the edges and make sure he stopped his feet before he had a chance to get going. You saw in the backfield that he was stomping his feet a lot. A couple of times he still squirted through, but it was 5 or 4 yards, which you can live with. You didn’t want to give him those big holes where he can get 20, make a guy miss and then take it to the house. A lot of it was making him stomping his feet before he wanted to.”
ARNOLD EBITKETIE, outside linebacker
On the game: “It feel good just to play complimentary football. The offense went out there and made big plays. It was kind of our job to go out there and stop their offense. That’s something that it’s our standard, that’s something that we are comfortable doing. Just offense, defense (and) special teams. Kind of everybody feeding off of each other. It felt great out there.”
On stopping the Colts: “I think the emphasis this week, more than others was kind of taking care of the middle eight before the end of the half and the end of the game, those two minutes situation. It was something that we didn’t feel we did a good job with in the previous weeks. Kind of taking care of that this week. That kind of helped us to be in the position that we are right now.”
ZACH HARRISON, defensive end
On how the defense feels after allowing their first rushing touchdown of the season: “I mean, not great that we let that happen. But we got a win. Obviously, every single game, there are good plays and bad plays. You just have to look at it with a 24-hour rule, enjoy the win and we’ll get back on the film tomorrow. We’ll look at it objectively, ‘How can we get better,’ and beat Chicago.”
On getting defensive tackle David Onyemata back in the lineup: “David’s a great player. I came in and didn’t really know who he was, but watching him play, I said, ‘Oh yeah. Why is his name not bigger than it is?’ D.O. is like that. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen. Real talk. But having a great player like that coming back is obviously going to help the defense. Everybody’s just doing their job. And D.O., like I said, he’s a great player. We’re glad to have him back.”
KYLE PITTS, tight end
On his production the last few weeks: “That’s just the offense as a whole clicking. If the ball comes my way, it does, but we’re not forcing anything. I’m focused on winning my matchups.”
On offensive consistency as a team: “We’ve had previous games where we’ve been really in sync. But obviously, we were more in sync this week and came out with the win. It’s just a steady climb.”
On his touchdown helping to build momentum early: “It was just the personnel they played and the defense they were in. We always want to keep the drive going and get the first, first down and keep it going. That’s something we try to do each weekend and on each drive.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BIJAN ROBINSON, running back
On quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s performance: “He did great. Taylor’s a veteran in this league. He was calm and poised, and the way he delivered the ball was fun to watch today. I like when he throws the checkdowns to us so we can get some more yards, but he did a really good job today. It was fun to be a part of it.”
On the win building confidence moving forward: “This was huge for us, especially bouncing back from last week. Having a win like this, especially against a team that was hot coming in, is a huge momentum-changer for us. I pray we keep feeding off of this and have even better performances down the line. God willing, we can make the playoffs and keep doing the same stuff.”
On the cohesion between offense and defense: “That’s how we want to play this game. We have so much talent in this team that I feel like we can do this every single game. Sometimes, it takes up until this point of the season to understand what we can do. I think we did very well today, playing complementary football, having the confidence to do it and just having fun.”
JESSIE BATES III, safety
Opening statement: “You look at the stat line and it says ‘Jessie Bates,’ but I wouldn’t be able to do any of that without all the film study we do together. From the coach, my peers, my teammates, we do a really good job of knowing what guys are doing during the week. It’s just a reflection of what we do and what we believe in. Like I said, I can’t do it without A.J. (Terrell Jr.) staying on top of the post and staying underneath it. I can continue to go on about the teammates that I have. Props to them.”
On the defense coming together: “Yeah, we have been talking about putting four quarters together all year. I think this is probably the most dominant game we’ve had throughout the year, which is great. You want to play these types of games at this type of time. It’s a great win to build off of. Celebrate, enjoy it, have a happy Christmas, get the win. Then, get back to work and go beat the Bears.”
On stopping Taylor: “I mean on the back end, we played coverage. Coach (Ryan) Nielsen, if y’all could hear him in the meeting room, I’m not surprised one bit. It’s just something they’ve been doing all year. Really good [running] back, a dynamic (running) back. You’ve got guys up front like David (Onyemata) coming back (and) bring a little bit more spark. Good to see.”
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