This week, the Falcons will travel to take on the Panthers in Bank of America Stadium with a chance to keep their postseason dreams alive. They’ll have the opportunity to be fully healthy after several defenders went down with injuries against the Buccaneers.
Ade Ogundeji and Richie Grant suffered ankle injuries against Tampa and were limited in practice on Thursday and Friday after missing Wednesday entirely. Both rookies are officially listed as questionable for Sunday, but Atlanta shouldn’t have too difficult of a time replacing those snaps.
Fabian Moreau also went down with an injury against the Bucs, but he will play against Carolina. Jonathan Bullard is also set to play for the first time in two games, which should boost the defensive line.
If Ogundeji and Grant can’t go, expect a combination of Jaylinn Hawkins and Darren Hall to replace the latter’s snaps. Brandon Copeland would likely take the former’s snaps. Ogundeji has been starting for many weeks now, and Grant’s percentage of defensive snaps has slowly ramped up, peaking last week. It’ll be disappointing if they can’t go.
For the Panthers, the Falcons can expect Dennis Daley and Brady Christensen as the team’s guard duo, thanks to Matt Rhule, which has been a divisive topic among Carolina faithful. Some want the BYU product to get a shot at left tackle, but Rhule is steadfast with him on the interior. John Miller and Michael Jordan (both guards) will be out of the game as the latter will miss his fifth game over the past six weeks while dealing with a lingering ankle injury.
The Falcons will have to win this game in the trenches as both head coaches desperately want to establish their identity of running the football. Thankfully, Atlanta is healthier in that area compared to their counterparts.
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