The Falcons entered their Week 13 contest limping and left with even more injured players.
Atlanta was without Kaleb McGary and Drew Dalman along the offensive line, David Onyemata on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Nate Landman on the second level of the defense, and Jeff Okudah in the secondary. To add insult to injury, the Falcons also saw Chris Lindstrom, Jake Matthews, and Kentavius Street exit the game too.
Fortunately, Arthur Smith is quite optimistic about most of the injured players having a “legitimate shot to play” against the Panthers, only ruling Street out against Carolina.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said most of the injured guys have a "legitimate shot to play."
RG Chris Lindstrom & LT Jake Matthews won't practice Wednesday but he is not ruling out that they'll play Sunday against Carolina.
DL Kentavius Street- is OUT for Sunday against Carolina.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) December 13, 2023
Landman, Okudah, Onyemata, and Dalman are back at practice but limited while McGary’s status is unknown. Though Matthews and Lindstrom won’t practice on Wednesday, they’re not being ruled out.
Some injury concerns are bigger than others. For instance, Clark Phillips III showed plenty of chops in place of Okudah last week and against the Jets. It seems like the Falcons have found a diamond in the rough with the fifth-round pick. Though he isn’t as promising as Phillips, Storm Norton proved serviceable in place of McGary.
However, the absence of Onyemata is concerning because Street has already been ruled out, and the Falcons still haven’t activated LaCale London from the injured reserve. At an already thin position group, Atlanta’s defensive line is being devastated by injuries.
Thankfully, it seems things are trending in a positive direction, which is great news because this Panthers matchup is a must-win situation.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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