Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake had a different thought than many when Andersen sprinted 47 yards for the touchdown, though. “Get the guys oxygen. Get them water. Get them Gatorade. We’re back up,” he remembers thinking in the moment.
On the next drive, Andersen made sure they got off the field quickly. Andersen took down running back Alvin Kamara in the backfield for a loss on third and short. Kamara is the NFL’s league leader in yards from scrimmage this season, but Andersen was effective in keeping him contained. The Saints’ star finished with 119 total yards and a score, but he averaged just 4.6 yards per touch and never completely took over.
Through 23 games in three seasons, Andersen has totaled 132 tackles, five for a loss, two pass breakups, four quarterback hits, a forced fumble — and now — an interception and touchdown.
This is the second time a Falcons defender has been recognized this season. Jessie Bates III earned his third Defensive Player of the Week nod after the Week 2 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. This is the first time Andersen has earned this recognition in his career.
Andersen left Atlanta’s win due to a knee injury, and head coach Raheem Morris said Monday that the linebacker is on a “day-to-day” timeline. When on the field, Andersen has been valuable for the defense, and the Falcons see the potential for the inside linebacker to keep making a sizable impact.
“Troy’s playing at a really high level. He studies his tail off. He puts the work in behind the scenes that nobody sees,” Lake said. “He’s obviously extremely talented. He’s got big, physical traits. He’s fast, but really, really smart. We’re able to do a lot of different things with him.”
“And that game-change-of-play that he made is going to be one of many that he’s going to make here.”
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