For weeks Falcons pass rusher Vic Beasley had been around quarterbacks but could never quite get to them. The rookie broke his sacks drought in a big way on Sunday against the Panthers.
Beasley’s sack and strip of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton secured the Falcons’ 20-13 victory at the Georgia Dome. It was a big finish to a strong day for Beasley, who harassed Newton frequently and also was stout against the run.
“He’s showing up lately,” Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn said. “He’s getting his wings up under him and he’s learning how to rush in the NFL, which is completely different (from college). I understand what he’s going through. He’s coming along.”
Beasley recorded just his second sack since Week 3 at the Cowboys. He had a sack in the first meeting against the Panthers two weeks ago but not until the Panthers were well on their way to a 38-0 victory. Beasley’s sack in the rematch had a much bigger impact.
The Panthers started the drive with 1:30 left, no timeouts and trailing 20-13. Newton completed a 19-yard pass to Corey Brown to set up a first down at the Panthers’ 39-yard line.
The Panthers lined up with Newton in a shotgun formation. Beasley got off the line quickly at the snap, raced around right tackle Mike Rummers and reached out to knock the ball out of Newton’s grasp. Clayborn recovered the fumble.
“I was able to beat him around the edge,” Beasley said. “Coach is always talking about, ‘It’s all ab0out the ball. I knew we needed to get the ball out.”
It wasn’t the lone highlight for Beasley. he stopped Newton on three consecutive plays in the third quarter.
On first down Beasley took on running back Fozzy Whitaker after a fake hand off but still managed to reach around Whitaker and pull down Newton for no gain. Beasley corralled Newton again when the quarterback tried to run around right end on second down. And on third down Beasley hit Newton’s arm as he threw to force an incomplete pass, and the Panthers had to settle for a field goal that gave them a 10-7 lead.
Beasley now has four sacks on the season. The Falcons selected Beasley with the No. 8 overall pick out of Clemson with the expectation he would help their pass rush. He’s had a solid rookie season and the big game against the Panthers is the latest sign that he’s finishing strong.
“When we were playing Jacksonville (last week), I saw the energy, I saw the tenacity he was playing with,” Falcons linebacker O’Brien Schofield said. “We are all happy for him because that’s what we always expected of him. He’s showed flashes of it. That’s two weeks in a row being consistent. If he can carry that (forward), it definitely changes the dynamic of the front seven to have a player like that can create pressure on his own.”
