Falcons Get Major Update on WR Darnell Mooney Ahead of ‘MNF’

The Atlanta Falcons will be back in action in Week 6 after enjoying their bye week in Week 5. However, they will draw a tough Monday Night Football matchup against the high-powered Buffalo Bills, meaning it’s going to be a tall task for the team to earn its third victory of the season.

During the bye week, the Falcons enjoyed some downtime, which also allowed several of their injured players to get healthy. Unfortunately, not everyone got healthy, though, as the team received a tough injury update regarding wide receiver Darnell Mooney ahead of this big primetime matchup against the Bills.

Falcons Rule Out Darnell Mooney for Week 6 Action

WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is out for Week 6. #Falcons

In 2024, the Falcons stumbled upon a top-tier wide receiver duo in Drake London and Mooney. While the expectation was always that London would become one of the best pass catchers in the league, Mooney experienced a resurgent campaign after a couple of down years with the Chicago Bears.

Mooney suited up for 16 games with Atlanta last season, catching 64 passes for 992 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Through three games this year, though, Mooney hasn’t really managed to get off the ground, as he’s caught just seven balls for 79 yards. Of course, a hamstring injury he’s been dealing with hasn’t exactly made things easy for him.

The hope for the Falcons was that Mooney would be able to get himself back to full health during the team’s bye week after he missed their Week 4 victory over the Washington Commanders. However, no such thing happened for Mooney, as he was still battling the injury when the team returned to practice, and he ended up getting officially ruled out for the team’s matchup with the Bills on Saturday afternoon.

“WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is out for Week 6,” Marc Raimondi of ESPN shared in a post on X.

Falcons Offense Will be Shorthanded for Pivotal Bills Contest

GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 22: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons participates in warmups prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on August 22, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The Falcons have a plethora of weapons at their disposal, but it’s clear that being without Mooney hurts the offense. Penix hasn’t necessarily been great through four games, and with opposing teams sending a lot of attention London’s way, that has only made things more difficult on the offense. London, running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, and tight end Kyle Pitts will have to take on bigger roles with Mooney out once again.

Buffalo is an intimidating opponent, but they aren’t unbeatable, as the New England Patriots handed them a shocking defeat on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. The Falcons will be looking to follow the same blueprint that the Patriots executed so perfectly by handing the Bills their second straight surprising defeat. Doing so will be easier said than done, especially without Mooney, but all eyes will be on them when they take the field at 7:15 p.m. ET on Monday night.

Falcons Rule Out Darnell Mooney for Week 6 Action

WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is out for Week 6. #Falcons

“WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring) is out for Week 6,” Marc Raimondi of ESPN shared in a post on X.

Falcons Offense Will be Shorthanded for Pivotal Bills Contest

Phillies had no answer as Dodgers managed their biggest weakness perfectly

The Philadelphia Phillies had a path to win the National League Division Series before it began. The Los Angeles Dodgers came in as the defending World Series champions, but they had holes in their roster as much as anyone else. They had a leaky bullpen going into the playoffs, but you wouldn't know it with how well the Dodgers managed their bullpen throughout the four games.

The Dodgers' bullpen was the part of the roster the Phillies' offense had to get to in order to succeed. As long as the Phillies could hang in against the Dodgers' starting pitching, they'd have a chance in the later innings. The Dodgers made adjustments with a shortened playoff series and outlasted the Phillies to win the series.

Dodgers managed their bullpen to perfection in NLDS to shut down Phillies

The top of the lineup had to apply pressure for the Phillies to have a chance in the series, but they instead made the eight runs they scored in Game 3 look more like a fluke. In Game 4, the top three hitters of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper sang a familiar tune, going a combined 1-for-14. As a team, they only scratched across four hits total. The Dodgers' bullpen came out on top in the end.

In the regular season, the Dodgers' bullpen ranked 21st with a bullpen ERA of 4.27. Ironically enough, they finished tied with the Phillies. They also had a 10.38 ERA over the two Wild Card games against a Cincinnati Reds offense that didn't impose any substantial threat. The Dodgers learned from that and approached things differently once they played the Phillies.

The Dodgers barely used traditional relievers for the entire four-game NLDS. They leaned heavily on extra starters to get the job done, and unfortunately, it worked to perfection. The one thing that few teams in MLB can go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers on is the depth of their starting rotation.

Roki Sasaki, a rookie who sported a 4.46 ERA across 10 games (eight starts) this season, was moved to the bullpen for the playoffs. He proceeded to throw 4 1/3 shutout innings against the Phillies, including three perfect innings in the clinching Game 4.

The Dodgers also deployed Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan out of the bullpen, limiting any threat the Phillies thought they could muster late in games. The only real success the Phillies had against the Dodgers' bullpen was facing 37-year-old Clayton Kershaw when he was hung out to dry in Game 3 and against Blake Treinen, who they scored twice against in Game 2 but ultimately fell one run short of a comeback.

The beauty and agony of a short playoff series is that every moment is amplified. Every game means more, and as a result, teams manipulate their pitching staffs to minimize any weakness. The Dodgers did it well and showed the Phillies the door in another early playoff exit.

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