The big news on Saturday was that starting safety Harrison Smith wouldn’t be traveling to Atlanta with the team.
Instead, Anton Exum Jr. was the next man up, earning his first career start.
The second-year player out of Virginia Tech was officially informed of Smith’s status before boarding the team bus on Saturday.
“I had been working and preparing as the starter all week, but we didn’t know what (Harrison Smith) was going to do,” Exum said, following the Minnesota Vikings eighth win of the season. “I really hope that he gets better and nothing is wrong with his knee.