Falcons rookie LB Kendal Daniels returns his interception, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The San Francisco 49ers fell from the dwindling ranks of unbeaten NFL teams on Sunday when they were clipped in Atlanta by the previously 2-4 Falcons, 29-20.
What makes the story even more notable is that Kendal Daniels, the Falcons rookie linebacker who helped seal the win with an interception of Niners QB Brock Purdy late in the fourth quarter, was lying motionless on a stretcher just one week ago.
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With Atlanta leading by six and the 49ers near midfield with just under three minutes to go in the game, Purdy fired a pass over the middle. Daniels rose up, deflected the pass, caught the ball, and scampered 29 yards the other way.
Following the interception, Atlanta would tack on a field goal to go ahead by two scores. On the ensuing possession, San Francisco fumbled in Falcons territory and Daniels hopped on the ball. Daniels’ interception was the first of his young NFL career, as was his fumble recovery. The 23-year-old also recorded a team-leading and career-high 11 combined tackles on the day.
All the while, Daniels wore the green dot on his helmet, given to the player receiving communications from the defensive coordinator and responsible for relaying the play calls to his teammates. That’s typically veteran linebacker Divine Deablo’s job, but he was out with an injury, so the tall task went to Daniels. The Falcons defense held San Fransisco, the league’s No. 1 scoring team, to a season-low 20 points.
Daniels — who has started all seven games of his NFL career, including on Sunday — looked no worse for the wear after his frightening injury seven days before.
In last week’s 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears, 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. Positive reports began to emerge about Daniels’ condition later in the day, and by the evening he was back with his team.
“That’s remarkable, truly,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said Sunday in his postgame press conference. “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.”
In an on-field interview with a Falcons team reporter moments after Sunday’s game, Daniels said 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.”
Later, he was asked what went into forcing his two game-clinching turnovers.
“God,” he said. “He put me in a position to make the plays.”
Daniels starred for Oklahoma State from 2021-24 before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2025 campaign. Following a season in which he moved from safety to linebacker, Daniels was drafted in the fourth round by the Falcons in April’s NFL Draft.
The Beggs, Oklahoma, native continued to praise God in the locker room after Sunday’s victory.
“I’m blessed, man,” he told the media. “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.”
Later, Daniels thanked all those who prayed for him.
“The power of prayer is strong,” he said, “and I felt like the Atlanta Falcons fan base really took care of me and prayed for me.”
Daniels writes “Give It To God” with a praying hands emoji in his Instagram bio, and the young father has been known to express his gratitude to God in posts on the social media site.
In a week that Daniels described as “the craziest week of my life,” he saw like never before the protective power of God on full display.
Daniels and the Falcons are now just a half-game out of first place in the NFC South with another divisional matchup up next. They will travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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