Atlanta’s secondary was in tough shape heading into the game against the Bengals, with A.J. Terrell perhaps less than 100%, Dee Alford out, and Casey Hayward on injured reserve. The news got worse from there, with Terrell exiting and Jaylinn Hawkins getting hurt as well, leaving the Falcons down several key players. The results were predictable enough, as Joe Burrow carved the defense up like it was an overcooked turkey.
The big questions was how significant those injuries would prove to be, and whether the Falcons would be without those players for multiple weeks. We still don’t fully know the answer to that, but the good news is that none of these seem to be long-term ailments.