The Falcons came out firing on all cylinders in Week 7, but the Dolphins wouldn’t go down without a fight. It took a late drive that was capped off by a Younghoe Koo field goal to seal Atlanta’s 30-28 victory over Miami.
Playing without their best pass rusher, Dante Fowler, who’s on injured reserve with a knee injury for at least another week, rookie OLB Ade Ogundeji earned the most reps of his short career. The fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame played 71 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in Week 7, up from his previous high of 54 percent in Week 5.
Ogundeji made a nice play when he blocked a Dolphins field goal, but it wasn’t all positive for the rookie. After an unnecessary roughness penalty for a face mask in the second quarter, Ogundeji has been fined $4,000 by the NFL, as reported by ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
Falcons rookie OLB Ade Ogundeji was fined $4,000 for unnecessary roughness (face mask) last Sunday against Miami.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) October 31, 2021
The Falcons host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and will need Ogundeji to again play a high percentage of the team’s defensive snaps. Atlanta is currently favored by 3.5 points over Carolina.
