Zachariah Branch was one of the most talked-about Atlanta Falcons rookies during the offseason.
Coming out of USC and Georgia, his blazing speed and explosiveness as a wide receiver and return specialist had Atlanta fans excited for what’s to come out of the third-round NFL draft pick.
Through Branch’s first six NFL games, he’s primarily been the return man for the Falcons (2-4).
But in their Week 6 31-23 loss on Sunday to the Chicago Bears (4-2), he faced his first adversity, fumbling two costly returns for the Falcons.
“Zachariah’s somebody that we’re going to be counting on. He’s a conscientious kid,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters postgame. “He has to take care of the football; he has done a good job up to date. He will learn from this.”
Down 14-7 with a little less than two minutes left in the second quarter, Atlanta was looking to turn the corner earlier in their failed fourth-quarter comeback effort.
Branch fielded a punt from Bears punter Tory Taylor, and muffed it as he was falling forward to the ground. Chicago’s Josh Blackwell recovered it, and running back D’Andre Swift scored on a two-yard rush to take a 21-7 halftime lead.
And then late in the third, after the Bears had taken a 28-7 lead, Branch had a chance to redeem himself on a kickoff.
After returning it for 26 yards, he fumbled it again, and the Bears recovered it, this time by Nick McCloud. Bears kicker Cairo Santos got a 50-yard field goal out of it.
As Branch walked sheepishly to the sideline, Stefanski spoke with him and tapped the rookie on his helmet.
Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson then pulled Branch aside.
“He’s a rookie,” Robinson said. “He needs a leader to be with him in that moment. And for me, it’s important to make sure that he’s alright because in this world that we live in, a lot of worldly things can get into his mind.”
Branch had slammed his helmet to the ground in frustration. But Robinson brought a calming presence to the frustrated first-year NFL player.
When the camera panned back over to the Falcons duo, they had their heads bowed.
“I just wanted to make sure that he was OK mentally and that his faith is high,” Robinson said of the exchange. “We prayed together, and I just wanted to make sure that he’s spiritually well. Because for a young guy, that’s the most important thing. Zach, he’s obviously a hell of a player, but I’ve always got to keep him in the game no matter what the situation is.”
Branch finished Sunday with one punt fielded and four kick returns for 86 yards. He also got involved with the offense during the late rally, making two catches for nine yards.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed a pass to Branch for a two-point conversion after Atlanta scored its first points in the fourth quarter after a scoreless third.
“He’ll be better for this,” Stefanski said of Branch.
Searching for their first home win of the season, the Falcons next host the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers (5-0) in Atlanta next Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. San Francisco will put their undefeated streak on the line against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 19’s edition of Monday Night Football.
Falcons-49ers kick off at 1 p.m. on FOX.
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