FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Few NFL defenders have a knack for making game-altering plays quite like Falcons safety Jessie Bates III.
The seven-year veteran earned the first Pro Bowl invite of his career in 2023 after tying for the league lead with nine combined interceptions and forced fumbles. Bates' presence has once again been vital for the Falcons' defense this season. Atlanta's team captain is a key communicator and capable of covering mistakes on the back end or supplementing the play of his teammates.
Voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games has begun — you can cast yours here — and Terrell's consistent play on both sides of the field is worthy of recognition. Let's take a closer look as to why that is.
How Bates stacks up to the competition
Bates has replicated the turnover generation this season. He is second in the NFL with four forced fumbles and has three interceptions, including two game-clinching picks. Those seven combined impact plays are once again tied for the league lead.
Bates ranks eighth among qualified NFC safeties with a 23.5% "hawk" rate, which is defined as the percentage of targets where the nearest defender get an interception or breaks up the pass. He has a "havoc rating" of 89 on the season, which ranks fourth among NFC safeties. Havoc rating is a Field Vision stat that combines several key factors like interceptions, pass breakups and receptions allowed to measure an individual defender's impact on a per-play basis.
Notable Next Gen Stat
Bates is tied for the most "hustle stops" among NFL safeties with 14. Hustle stops measure a successful play by the defense where a defender covered at least 20 yards to make the tackle.
Best game of the season
There are several games that could fit the bill for this category, but Bates' performance in the Week 2 win against the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football" takes the cake. In that game, Bates led all defenders with 12 tackles and also recorded two pass defenses, a tackle for loss and the game-winning interception.
One quote to earn your vote
"He's special. He's a special player. The closest thing I've seen to it in my career is Ronde Barber. Ronde Barber was always around the ball. He was always forcing fumbles. He was around to scoop and score. He was around to pick the ball off and score. And that is the closest thing I've seen to it. And Ronde Barber is now enshrined in the Hall of Fame. And so that's what type of level of play that Jesse Bates is playing at right now." – Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake
Voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games
Fans can cast a vote for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games on AtlantaFalcons.com, NFL.com or on X by using #ProBowlVote and the name of the player. Fan voting will close on Dec. 23, and rosters will be revealed in early January. On the final two days of the voting period — Dec. 22 and 23 — all votes cast on X will count double towards a player's total.
