There were several chips stacked against the Atlanta Falcons entering their Week 2 showdown against NFC South foe Carolina Panthers. The starting middle linebacker was on the shelf with a foot injury, while the exceptional strong safety was done for the year with a torn ACL. In the meantime, the team’s No. 1 running back is dinged up with a knee issue and will be out for the next two to three weeks.
There was no debate that this was a must-win contest for the Falcons. After coming excruciatingly close to knocking off the defending Super Bowl champions, Atlanta falling to 0-2 with the number of injuries before them would have been mortifying.