Falcons’ young defense has made enormous progress

ATLANTA — Youthful exuberance flowed from a corner of the Atlanta Falcons’ locker room Sunday night, bolstered by the reality that a Super Bowl date awaited.

‘‘We’re known as the misfits,’’ Ricardo Allen, a third-year safety, said within earshot of a few teammates. ‘‘Look at us. We’re not supposed to be here.’’

Allen was referring to the band of defensive backs that held up against the Green Bay Packers while the front line put a relentless rush on Aaron Rodgers during the 44-21 thrashing that was the NFC Championship Game.

Allen, a fifth-round pick in 2014, took a moment to provide biographical nuggets about his brethren. Keanu Neal, the rookie safety, was panned as a reach when the Falcons drafted him 17th overall last spring. Jalen Collins, a second-round pick in 2015, played only 10 games at LSU. Cornerback Robert Alford was a small-school product from Southeastern Louisiana. Deji Olatoye was cut from the practice squad. C.J. Goodwin is a converted wide receiver. Sharrod Neasman entered the league as an undrafted free agent. Allen himself was cut from the practice squad as a cornerback, then switched to safety.

‘‘[Cornerback Desmond] Trufant was the only one they said was a fit,’’ Allen added of the 2013 first-round pick who’s on injured reserve.

The Falcons have mixed and matched the pieces to formulate a special chemistry in their secondary. The rise and increasing confidence of the defensive backs also reflect a much-larger picture: Atlanta won the NFC with a defense that starts four rookies (including nickel back Brian Poole) and four others in only their second pro seasons.

For all of the exploits of a high-powered offense sparked by presumptive NFL MVP Matt Ryan and phenomenal wide receiver Julio Jones, the fast progression of the Falcons’ young defense is something to behold. It’s a testament to exceptional work on several levels — scouting, coaching, the dedication of the players — that proves that an NFL defense can essentially be rebuilt on the fly. The young studs include second-year edge rusher Vic Beasley, who led the NFL with 15½ sacks during the regular season, and rookie linebacker Deion Jones.

‘‘The more you play together and gain experience together, the faster you can play,’’ said Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who arrived last season with defense as his calling card after coordinating the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom, which advanced to back-to-back Super Bowls in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

‘‘So we’re playing faster now than we did earlier in the season. Our speed hasn’t changed in terms of our 40 times, but — because of our communication, because of the style and attitude that we’re able to play with — we’re able to play faster.’’

Speed surely has a double meaning here. The Falcons fly to the football with fresh legs and are fast learners.

‘‘We’re so young, we have no option other than to buy in,’’ said Collins, who ripped the ball from fullback Aaron Ripkowski to extinguish an early Green Bay scoring threat, then recovered it.

‘‘Ricardo made the hit, I went for it. We teach that during the week. Second man in goes for the ball.’’

What might have become a 10-7 game turned into 17-0 as the Falcons converted the turnover into a touchdown.

It’s easy to be skeptical of a young unit, which was burned for 124 points in the season’s first four games and benefits greatly from an offense that regularly provides leads that allow the defense to play aggressively. Yet after smothering Seattle in the divisional round, the defense went a long way toward proving it isn’t merely riding the coattails of Ryan and Co. given the manner in which they shut out Rodgers and Green Bay in the first half Sunday.

But the biggest test awaits in Super Bowl LI, with the New England Patriots bringing the highest level of football IQ to all the versatility contained in their offense.

Still, there’s something to be said for growth from within, measured in some ways by the mistakes that have been reduced with experience.

‘‘The success is always in the struggle,’’ said Allen, who had the interception of a desperate heave by Rodgers late in the first half — which the Falcons converted into another touchdown. ‘‘And we struggled long enough.’’

The difference from September?

‘‘Those deep shots? People coming out taking shots anytime they want to? We’re not giving those up anymore,’’ Allen said. ‘‘People have to grind to get on the scoreboard.’’

Nothing easy. That’s the mark of a good defense. As is progress.

‘‘We went through a lot of issues and problems early in the year,’’ veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney said. ‘‘But that was to be expected. We had to play catch-up. Right now, those boys are playing.’’