Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski: 'We want to affect the QB every which way'

The Atlanta Falcons are proving that defensive pressure doesn’t always have to show up in the sack column. After setting a franchise record with 57 sacks in 2025, Atlanta entered 2026 without several key contributors from that group, including Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., yet Jeff Ulbrich’s defense has continued to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. Through four games, the Falcons have recorded eight sacks, but their pressure rate has been even more impressive, leading the NFL at 44.2% through three games while blitzing at just a 17% rate. That approach was on full display against Green Bay, when Atlanta pressured Jordan Love 14 times and forced him into one of the lowest completion percentages of his career despite rarely sending extra rushers. Stefanski’s point is that sacks are only one measure of disruption: hurried throws, collapsed pockets, altered reads and forcing quarterbacks off their spot can be just as valuable. “We want to affect the QB every which way,” Stefanski said, and so far, the Falcons’ revamped pass rush is doing exactly that.