Nobody wants to play the injury card, and I’m fairly certain a fully healthy Atlanta Falcons roster still would have lost that game, considering the final margin. But there’s no question that the persistent absence of Troy Andersen and the decimated cornerback corps played a role in just how bad things got Sunday against the Denver Broncos, and further injuries only contributed to the brutal beatdown our favorite team suffered.
On Sunday, the Falcons almost immediately lost Kevin King, their replacement nickel back with Dee Alford (and Antonio Hamilton) out. The team would use Natrone Brooks and Richie Grant in his stead, and while Brooks had his moments in coverage and Grant closer to the line of scrimmage, the team’s poor tackling, coverage, and angles to the ball showed just how deep they were digging into their depth in the secondary.