FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons edge defender Jalon Walker has been named the NFL’s Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week by voters after his stellar performance against the New England Patriots. He is the second rookie defender for Atlanta to earn an NFL honor this season.
Walker finished the game with five tackles, including two for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. It was the rookie's first game back since Week 6, as he had been dealing with a groin injury, and Walker's presence was felt in a big way.
Perhaps his biggest play came just before halftime. With 32 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and the Patriots at midfield holding a 21-7 lead, Walker timed a stunt with defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus beautifully and had a clear lane up the middle to New England quarterback Drake Maye. As he wrapped Maye up to take him to the ground, Walker swatted the ball out of the quarterback's right hand with his left.
The ball fortuitously bounced in the direction of the Falcons' other first-round selection in April's draft, James Pearce Jr., who picked it up and returned the fumble to the Patriots' 6-yard line. Two plays later, Michael Penix Jr. connected with Drake London for a 2-yard score that cut New England's lead to seven.
It was a true momentum-changing play, something the Falcons expected to get out of the former Georgia Bulldogs star when they selected him 15th overall in the draft.
"You see how much he means to the team, just with his impact and his energy," Pearce Jr. said of Walker after the game. "He made the plays out there today."
More Atlanta accolades
In his first NFL season, Walker has played in six games with two starts through the first nine weeks. He has registered 19 tackles, including three for a loss, three sacks, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. According to Next Gen Stats, Walker's sack-conversation rate of 42.9% is highest among rookies this season, and his average "get-off" time — the time it takes a defender to move once the ball is snapped — is 0.88 seconds, which is tied for fifth best.
