The Falcons have continued to scrap and claw this season to keep themselves within striking distance of the playoffs, something I’m sure not many people believed was possible in Arthur Smith’s first year. The staff and roster have incrementally improved as the personnel and scheme mesh as the season progresses. This week, the Falcons are in a must-win situation against the 49ers to keep themselves in the playoff hunt, and they could be without several key players.
The team has already announced that Erik Harris will be out the remainder of the season after suffering a torn pec early in the Carolina game. Dante Fowler also went down with a calf injury after playing about 50% of the defensive snaps, and Emmanuel Ellerbee, who is purely a special teams contributor, went down with a knee injury. Smith didn’t have an update on either of those players on Monday.
“Injuries, we are still waiting for the medical experts,” Smith said via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “On most Mondays in the NFL, MRIs, the doctors and making sure that we get it right so we don’t… we know exactly what we are dealing with.”
Another impactful player that has been missing for quite some time is Calvin Ridley after he was placed on the non-football injury list by the Falcons at the beginning of November. Ridley missed the Jets game in London because of a personal matter, played against the Dolphins next, then the announcement that he would be stepping away was posted to social media. Since then, he’s missed six games, but that hasn’t stopped the Atlanta media from asking about his status, which remains unchanged.
“As soon as we get an update, we’ll give you an update,” Smith answered on Monday. “I understand that you’ve got to ask, but there is no update there.”
Tajae Sharpe has replaced many of Ridley’s snaps, and that will continue as the Falcons contemplate life without their star receiver. As of right now, things remain status quo when it comes to Ridley.
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