FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- It wasn't a specific discussion or overarching change that recentered the Atlanta Falcons defense during the team's bye week last month.
"It's just urgency," edge rusher Lorenzo Carter said. "It's a sense of urgency and a sense of we've got to get it done. It shows in games like this, where we keep them out of the end, different sudden changes, it doesn't matter, we're ready to play."
It was a collective understanding from the defense of what happened before the bye -- three straight losses in close games allowing over 350 yards and giving up big plays at the end -- was no longer acceptable.