Free-agent acquisition Jessie Bates intercepted Bryce Young twice and forced a key fumble, leading to 17 Falcons points in a 24-10 win.
The veteran safety, signed to a four-year, $64 million free-agent deal this spring, earned that big paycheck and more Sunday, intercepting rookie
said after the game."To come out here, first game, and witness it firsthand? Practice is one thing, but doing it in a game's a whole different beast. He should definitely be Defensive Player of Week for the NFC. It set the tone for our whole season, who we are."in 2016, and he'd only forced three fumbles in five NFL seasons before Sunday's big three plays.
The Falcons can relish such a resounding win for a bit. The franchise hadn't won a season opener since 2017 — only thehad a longer streak in the entire NFL — and the team hadn't had a winning record at any point in any season since 2017. Instead of digging a hole early in the year, Atlanta has a leg up, especially with a division win.
"It felt amazing, man," said Bates, who played in seven postseason games the past two seasons with the."It's a lot of hard work that a lot of people don't see. And not just from me, from my teammates. When we started in OTAs when I first got here, I knew we could do something special, and this is just the beginning of it.
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