The Atlanta Falcons beat the San Francisco 49ers 29-20 over the weekend, thanks to rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, who sealed the win with an interception late in the fourth quarter.
At the time, the Falcons were just leading by 6 with only three minutes left in the game. The 49ers had the ball, and when San Fransisco quarterback Brock Purdy went to make a pass, Daniels jumped up, deflected the pass, caught the ball and ran about 30 yards in the opposite direction.
@AtlantaFalcons rookie Kendal Daniels gets his first career interception in the clutch
SFvsATL on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/9BtAUNZQLm— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
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The play marked an incredible comeback for Daniels, who, just the week before, was lying motionless on a stretcher after a severe hit to the head.
“Daniels stayed down after making an awkward tackle in the third quarter. As both teams gathered around him, he was loaded on a stretcher, carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital,” Sports Spectrum reported of the Oct. 18 game between the Falcons and Chicago Bears. “Positive reports began to emerge about Daniels’ condition later in the day, and by the evening he was back with his team.”
The athlete credited his quick recovery to God.
During an on-field interview, Daniels told a Falcons team reporter that he was “blessed to be able to come back a week after a scary fall. Just all thanks, glory to God. He put me back out here, so all the plays I made today was Him.”
“I’m blessed, man,” he emphasized in a later locker room interview. “I just thanked God all week…I was just sore all week, but I’ve played through worse pain than that. So, I knew God was telling me that I needed to play. He guided me to play this week and helped me and guided me to play well for my team.”
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski praised Daniels’ tenacity, fortitude and perseverance in the face of adversity.
“That’s remarkable, truly,” the coach said on Sunday after the Falcons’ win. “What a great kid. We just gave him a game ball, and he deserves it, because what a week. What a seven days that was. Seven days ago, we’re in here talking about him being at the hospital and talking to his family and all the emotional stuff that he went through.”
“And then, oh by the way, go play in a game against [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy and put the green dot on and call the defense. That’s unbelievable to just do that. And then, to make a play at the end? Man, really proud of that kid,” Stefanski said.
The Falcons are second in the NFC South division. This weekend they will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are currently 2-5.
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