Falcons concerned about their ailing defense
By GEORGE HENRY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FLOWERY BRANCH, GA.
• Atlanta coach Mike Smith can only hope John Abraham and Lawyer Milloy are quick healers.
With just four days to prepare for a wild-card game at Arizona, the Falcons aren’t the same aggressive defense without Abraham, one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers, and Milloy, their most experienced runstopper.
Even more disconcerting is Atlanta’s discrepancy in turnover margin since its Week 10 victory over New Orleans.
Despite winning five of their last seven games, the Falcons had just five takeaways during that span as quarterback Matt Ryan’s interceptions accounted for six of Atlanta’s 12 giveaways.
The Falcons, at minus-3 for the season, and Minnesota, at minus-6, are the only two teams in either conference to make the playoffs after ending the regular season under zero.
Abraham, whose 16 1/2 sacks were a career high and led all NFL defensive ends this season, didn’t play in the second half of a 31-27 victory over St. Louis because of shoulder, neck and thigh injuries that have bothered him the last seven weeks.
Though he made every start for the second straight year and earned his fourth Pro Bowl invitation, Abraham was held to low snap counts in games and a limited number of reps in practice since suffering a mild concussion in a Week 12 win over Carolina.
If the Falcons (11-5) had been fighting for a playoff spot instead of trying to earn a higher seed by beating the Rams and hoping Carolina would lose at New Orleans, Abraham insists he would’ve played in the second half.
Instead, with a postseason berth assured the previous week at Minnesota, Atlanta didn’t dress left end Jamaal Anderson (high ankle sprain) for the first time in his career and used Abraham sparingly.
A back injury sidelined Milloy for the first time in 94 games as the four-time Pro Bowl safety missed just the sixth game of his 13-year career.
Smith sidestepped whether Milloy, Abraham or Anderson will be ready against Arizona.
“As is always the case this time of year, there’s guys all across the league that are banged up,” he said.
“We’ll know a lot more in regards to our players on Tuesday.”