Getty The Falcons' best defensive player is back to his best after shutting down a 4-time Pro-Bowler.
Running backs got most of the plaudits after the Atlanta Falcons beat the Cleveland Browns 23-20 in Week 4. Praise was justified after those in the backfield helped the Falcons rush for 202 yards and score two touchdowns on the ground.
As productive as Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and Cordarrelle Patterson were, they weren’t entirely responsible for the victory. One of the few true stars on the Falcons’ defense is also worthy of recognition after he rebounded from a slow start to the season and shut down a four-time Pro-Bowler.
Falcons’ Best Shut Down Browns’ Best
A.J. Terrell became a darling of the analytics community last season when he emerged as a legitimate shutdown cornerback. His second-year performances should have been rewarded with an invite to the Pro Bowl, but Terrell was overlooked and his start to this campaign appeared to reflect a player wounded by the slight.
Three indifferent games put the pressure on Terrell to handle a difficult assignment against the Browns. His task involved keeping four-time Pro-Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper under wraps, and Terrell past the test with flying colors, per Next Gen Stats:
It was a brilliant effort to take away the primary big-play threat in the Cleveland passing game. Although, not everybody was surprised at how effectively Terrell shut down Cooper.
The latter often struggles in one-on-one situations, according to Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News:
Also in same Falcons-Browns game, Amari Cooper was a no-brainer easy shutdown shadow for A.J. Terrell. Cooper doesn’t fare well in those situations.
It’s a curious criticism since Cooper has posted four 1,000-yard seasons during a highly productive career that’s also taken in stops with the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
Cooper actually had ample reasons to expect to get the better of Terrell. Not least because he entered Week 4 having posted consecutive games with over 100 yards receiving, against the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns were probably confident about Cooper’s chances of enjoying a big game because of the way Terrell struggled through three weeks.
Young Star Adjusting to Demanding Role
Iyer’s tweet did highlight one key difference faced by Terrell this season. He’s now expected to matchup with an opponent’s best receiver each week.
Quarterbacks won’t avoid Terrell if it means ignoring their go-to targets altogether. Any best-on-best matchup can yield positive plays for either side, something Terrell is learning the hard way in 2022.
His lessons began with Michael Thomas beating him for two scores when the Falcons lost 27-26 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. As Next Gen Stats pointed out, Terrell didn’t give up touchdowns as the nearest defender too often in 2021:
Jameis Winston & Michael Thomas (9-yd TD)
Thomas beats A.J. Terrell for a touchdown on a fade route for the second time today. Terrell had allowed only 3 TDs as the nearest defender all of last season.
Things were just as tough against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, when Terrell had to track Cooper Kupp. Last season’s triple-crown receiving champion and Super Bowl LVI MVP made 11 catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
DK Metcalf was the next premier wideout to get by Terrell for a score when the Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks 27-23 a week later. It was beginning to look like Falcons’ defensive coordinator Dean Pees should be deeply concerned about Terrell.
That was before Cooper was held in check. Terrell’s performance showed he’s growing in confidence, a vital commodity for any shutdown cover man.
The 24-year-old is also benefiting from the presence of the other accomplished corner in Pees’ secondary. Casey Hayward is playing solid football after arriving from the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, and the veteran was equally as stingy as Terrell against the Browns.
Numbers from PFF, cited by Falcons Digital Managing Editor Scott Bair showed how effectively this pairing worked:
Also from the PFF numbers, A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward combined to allow one nine-yard catch on six total targets.
Hayward’s skills mean quarterbacks can’t avoid testing Terrell for a whole game. It means there’s more opportunities for one of the rising stars of the NFL to continue refining his game and proving his talents.