Both Morris and Lake unsolicitedly mentioned this moment. It wasn’t the only highlight of Landman’s Week 6 performance — he had two forced fumbles, along with a team-high eight tackles — but it’s the one that caught the eye of his coaches.

This all came after four weeks away from the gridiron, too.

Landman spent Weeks 2-5 on injured reserve due to quad and calf injuries. He tore part of his quad muscle in training camp but played through it in Week 1. As his body compensated for that injury, he explained, his calf muscle was torn.

“That was tough, especially since I feel like I started off Week 1 pretty high,” said Landman, who had six tackles in the Falcons’ season opener. “Not even that. Not even individually. Just being part of the team. That’s the worst part: not being able to travel to the (Philadelphia) Eagles and getting that crazy win or being a part of the prime-time games with the guys and experiencing that whole thing with them as an active player.”

It’s fitting that Landman references his teammates. They were quick to reciprocate the love when he returned. Especially his fellow inside linebackers.

“He’s just such a passionate player, someone who loves the game so much and loves to compete so much and loves his teammates so much,” veteran Kaden Elliss said. “That just makes him fun to play with, so having him back out there was awesome.”

Landman joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He appeared in just seven games as a rookie, making only one tackle, before being moved to the practice squad.

In 2023, though, Landman was thrust into a starting role when Troy Andersen went on injured reserve four weeks into the season. That’s when Landman truly showed his talents – making an interception, taking down two sacks, breaking up three passes, forcing three fumbles (also recovering three) and totaling 110 tackles – and why ultimately earned himself a new one-year contract in the offseason.

“We know what Nate Landman brings to our defense,” Lake said. “He’s a huge shot in the arm for our whole team.”