There is, I swear, an ideal version of the Falcons defense. That defense contests passes, prevents yards after the catch through savvy positioning and great tackling, and keeps plays in front of them. You’ll complete passes underneath, but you’ll have to earn them, and you won’t beat them deep because you won’t have time to, owing to pressure and excellent coverage.
That version of the defense has been theoretical basically since Dan Quinn arrived, with games or stretches of games here and there where it looks like they might actually be as fast and physical as they’d like to be.