Falcons' final Week 9 injury report came straight out of a Halloween nightmare
In Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, the injury bug swept over the Atlanta Falcons in their 34-10 loss. No Michael Penix Jr., no Drake London, and no Zach Harrison had the Dirty Birds already fighting an uphill battle, while losing Jessie Bates III to a knee injury made a bad situation even worse.
This weekend, the Falcons will travel to Foxborough for a Super Bowl LI rematch with the New England Patriots. New England has won five games in a row behind the elite play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye, but the Pats will be missing some key pieces of their own due to injury .
Both teams will be entering the weekend banged up, but Atlanta's defense will face a tall task in slowing down one of the brighest young quarterbacks in the NFL. But luckily. it won't be Kirk Cousins in Week 9, as Michael Penix Jr. will return after missing last week due to a bone bruise in his knee.
Falcons' final Week 9 injury report looks straight out of a Halloween nightmare
The injury report for Atlanta has felt like a laundry list this week. Between big names like Penix, London, Bates, Harrison, Jalon Walker, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts, Leonard Floyd, and Jake Matthews, the Falcons could be incredibly shorthanded this week.
17 players were listed on Friday's injury report, so here it is.
Did not participate:
- CB Billy Bowman Jr. (hamstring)
- OL Storm Norton (foot)
- WR Casey Washington (back)
- DL David Onyemata (rest)
- DL Zach Harrison (knee)
Limited participation:
- S Jessie Bates III (knee)
- EDGE Jalon Walker (groin)
- ILB Kaden Elliss (rest)
- EDGE Leonard Floyd (hamstring)
- T Jake Matthews (ankle)
- DL Ta'Quon Graham (calf)
Full:
- WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring
- WR Drake London (hip)
- TE Kyle Pitts (ankle)
- QB Michael Penix Jr. (knee)
- RB Tyler Allgeier (knee)
- CB Natrone Brooks (shoulder)
Out for Week 9:
- CB Billy Bowman Jr. (hamstring)
- OL Storm Norton (foot)
- WR Casey Washington (back)
- DL Zach Harrison (knee)
Let's break this down, because there's a lot to unpack here.
London, Penix, Allgeier, and Matthews were all upgraded from limited status yesterday to full participation today, and none of them enter Week 9 with an injury designation. Moreover. Darnell Mooney logged a full session for the second straight day, and is good to go for Sunday.
However, Casey Washington won't play against the Patriots, setting the stage for more snaps for both KhaDarrel Hodge and David Sills V in Penix's first start back in the lineup. Luckily, London and Pitts will command enough defensive attention for Bijan Robinson to return to form.
On defense, Bates and Walker were limited for the third straight day, giving them a real shot to play. Floyd was upgraded to limited yesterday after not participating in Wednesday's practice, and was limited once again today.
However, rookie DB Billy Bowman Jr. was limited on both Wednesday and Thursday, but didn't participate on Friday, as he was ruled out for his third straight game. This means that Dee Alford wil more than likely start in the nickel once again.
The most interesting case here is Norton, who finished last week up with a full practice session, and did the same earlier this week. But his season debut won't come in Week 9mu after not practicing on Friday, so Atlanta hopes to have him back in Week 10 in Berlin.
David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss will play after some rest days, but Harrison will miss another game after being downgraded to no participation this week. Brandon Dorlus, Sam Roberts, and Ruke Orhorhoro will have to step up for Jeff Ulbrich's unit in his absence.
Dan Campbell’s brutally honest assessment of Lions should scare rest of NFL
The Detroit Lions have been one of the best teams in the NFL this season. Even after losing both of their coordinators this offseason, Detroit seemingly hasn't lost a step. They come out of their bye week with a 5-2 record, scoring key wins against some of the top contenders in the process.
If the Lions are to be believed, they still aren't playing to their full potential. Head coach Dan Campbell believes that Detroit still has another gear this season. The Lions HC said that they could stand to be better at playing complementary football over the course of the season.
“I really believe we haven't played our best ball yet collectively in all three phases,” Campbell said, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “And that's really what we're trying to get to here is how can we sharpen ourselves. We know it's going to take every phase. Every game's different, and one unit may have to pick up the slack, but we need to start playing complete ball across the board. And just keep improving — like with all these teams that we're in the race with right now. So, that's where we're at.”
The Lions have highlighted four key areas for improvement during their bye week. That includes their third-down efficiency on both sides of the ball. Detroit is ranked 22nd in third-down conversion rate this season with just 37.7%, far below their 47% rate last season. On the other side, they're allowing a similar third-down conversion rate on defense, which is higher than their 32.5% rate last year.
The two other areas that the Lions focused on during the bye week are their red zone defense and Jameson Williams' involvement on offense. While Detroit's defense has been generally solid this season, it's allowing a whopping 63.6% of its opponents' red zone trips to end in a touchdown. On the other hand, Williams has had an up-and-down season thanks in large part to his fluctuating target rate. Detroit's offense is at its best when the threat of Jamo downfield opens up the rest of the offense. Finding ways to get him in space is going to be crucial for this team moving forward.
The Lions open the second half of their season with a matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at home. Will Detroit apply what they've installed during the bye week in their next games?
