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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Atlanta Falcons are 3-5 and in need of a spark after Sunday's 16-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a particular low point for Atlanta with four interceptions in a shutout. They may still be just one game behind the Carolina Panthers for the top spot in the NFC South, but time is running out for the Falcons to turn things around. This is a team that hasn't made the playoffs in eight years, despite having some of the best playmakers in the NFL.
Help is on the way for the Falcons, though. Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was reinstated Monday after serving an eight-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy following a February arrest. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has already said he expects Pearce to play in Week 9 when Atlanta takes on the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid.
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Pearce starred at Tennessee before arriving in Atlanta, earning first-team All-SEC honors in his final two seasons and going into the 2025 draft as one of the top edge rushers in his class. The Falcons made him their No. 26 overall pick, and he immediately justified the investment, racking up 10.5 sacks across 17 games as a rookie, along with 26 combined tackles (17 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, five pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
He set a Falcons rookie record in sacks and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He also had eight sacks from Week 10 on last season, the third-most in the league over that span.
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Atlanta is trying to turn its defense around, and adding a fast, explosive edge rusher with a proven ability to get after opposing quarterbacks is exactly what the team needs. Stefanski said, however, that it's still too early to know exactly how many snaps Pearce will play in his first game back.
After Joe Burrow and the Bengals, the Falcons will host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 10 before their bye week. After that, they'll visit Minnesota, host the Lions, travel to Cleveland and Washington before closing out the season against Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Carolina.
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