The Atlanta Falcons are coming off an absolutely dreadful offensive performance in their defeat at the hands of hated division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Through this first portion of the season with the team sitting at 3-5, that entire side of the ball has been a little bit of a roller coaster.

Defensively though, there has certainly been more consistency there, and while it was not enough to hold Tampa Bay without a completion given what they did on the ground, it has been a steady and reliable unit for most of the year. As it turns out, following the defeat to the Buccaneers, this defense is set to get a massive boost this week as it gets set to head across the pond.

With a meeting in Madrid with the high-flying Cincinnati Bengals awaiting, the pass rush is going to get the huge boost of the return of James Pearce Jr. coming off his eight-game suspension and ready to add to this Atlanta pass rush.

Advanced stats already have the Falcons as one of the more productive units in football here at around the halfway point of the season, but bringing in Pearce could legitimately take things to the next level.

As a rookie in 2025, Pearce had 10.5 sacks and looked like he had the makings of a future superstar pass rusher who could lead this unit for years to come. His arrest and subsequent suspension was an obvious setback, but if he can put the entire situation behind him and focus on football, there's no reason why he can't get back on track and start a very productive career.

Pearce at his best is an absolute game wrecker, and if he can shake the rust off and pick up right where he left off last year, his addition has the potential to change this entire defense and allow them to get to the next level.

It would not be a shock to see Pearce take a little bit of time to get back to what he was last year, but his presence against Cincinnati this week is going to be very welcome as Atlanta tries to slow down Joe Burrow.

So far, not many have been able to do that, but adding Pearce to an already productive pass rush could be exactly what they need to tame the Bengals in Spain.