ATLANTA (AP) — A week ago, Atlanta Falcons rookie Kendal Daniels was carted off the field on the stretcher, his body strapped to a backboard, his head engulfed by an ominous-looking brace. No one was thinking about when he might return to the field. The immediate concern was whether he sustained any career-threatening or even life-altering damage.
Which made his performance Sunday even more remarkable.
In a game the Falcons desperately needed to win,
Daniels came through with a team-high 11 tackles, made a crucial interception in the fourth quarter and, for good measure, recovered a fumble that finished off a 29-20 win over the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers.
“I'm really proud of that kid,” said coach Kevin Stefanski, who rewarded the 23-year-old linebacker with a game ball.
Once he left the hospital and was cleared physically, Daniels faced the inevitable mental challenge of getting back on the field without any lingering doubts or fears holding him back. He knew that his facemask-on-knee collision with Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland could have turned out much worse.
“I've never not walked off the field after an injury,” Daniels said. “So mentally, I had to be prepared. Going back home, I had to make sure I was OK mentally, more than anything, and not playing timid.”
No one would accuse him of timidity against Brock Purdy and the Niners.
Daniels turned up everywhere, making the sort of big plays the Falcons (3-4) needed to pick up their first home win of the season. Especially in the final quarter, when the fourth-round draft pick looked like a budding star with Atlanta clinging to a 26-20 lead.
On third-and-9 from just shy of midfield, Purdy attempted a pass over the middle. Daniels read it all the way, leaping high to deflect the ball into his own hands. With the pick secured, he took off the other way for a 29-yard return that set up Nick Folk's field goal with 1:56 remaining.
“I had missed one earlier in the game,” Daniels said. “I just knew I needed to make a play for my team.”
Daniels wasn't done, either.
The 49ers tried to race down the field for a touchdown or field goal that would've at least given them a shot at an onside kick. But Jessie Bates jarred the ball loose from George Kittle after a long completion, and Daniels, hustling all the way, fell on the fumble at the Falcons 20 with 47 seconds to go.
Bring on the victory formation.
Teammate Maason Smith marveled at how far Daniels had come in the past week.
“I can remember on Monday, he could barely turn his neck to either side,” Smith said. “To see him go through all that, then come back on the following Sunday and have a hell of a game is great to see. I hope to see more of it.”
Daniels conceded that he was still thinking about the injury when he came out for the warmups at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a player alone with his thoughts after a harrowing ordeal.
“I wasn’t scared, but I definitely thought about it,” Daniels said. “I haven’t been in full pads all week. What if I’m not OK? But once I got my first tackle in pregame, I was good.”
He wouldn't get any argument from the 49ers, who lost for the first time this season largely because of four turnovers.
The Falcons can only hope their young linebacker's inspiring recovery signals a long-term turnaround for a long-suffering franchise.
Daniels is looking forward. When fellow rookie linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. was slapping him on the back of his helmet in celebration as the final seconds ticked way, leaving the field the previous Sunday on a stretcher was long forgotten.
“That was the last thing I was worried about,” Daniels said with a grin.
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