The Falcons are hurting a bit ahead of the biggest game of Arthur Smith’s career. With multiple reports that Smith wins and he’s back, the health of his team is particularly important.
The bad news? The Falcons are beat up.
The Falcons are missing multiple starters and recent contributors. The biggest (?) may be Taylor Heinicke, who finishes out the season as the team’s emergency quarterback. While Desmond Ridder and Heinicke may simply be different flavors of the same food, Smith is still stuck starting Ridder whether that’s what he wanted to do or not.
There are multiple other notable inactives, including the team’s starting center Drew Dalman.