Getty Matt Hennessy and Marcus Mariota.
The Atlanta Falcons will be without offensive lineman Matt Hennessy on November 10 when they take on the Carolina Panthers.
After the Falcons placed starting left guard Elijah Wilkinson on injured reserve on November 5, Hennessy made his first start at left guard for the Falcons against the Los Angeles Chargers the following day. He played the entire first half and then suffered a knee injury in the second half and did not return.
On November 7, head coach Arthur Smith told the media that Hennessy had already been ruled out for Thursday.
“Matt won’t be available this week,” Smith said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re still looking at it. We’ll have to see if we can get him back.”
Georgia Native to Start in Hennessy’s Place
With both Wilkinson and Hennessy unavailable, Colby Gossett is set to slide into the starting left job role, according to USA Today’s Matt Urben.
Gossett, a native of Cumming, Georgia, has appeared in five games this season for Atlanta so far with one start. He filled a void left by Wilkinson in Week 3, when the Falcons beat the Seahawks 27-23 and he earned a pass-blocking grade of 77.7 from Pro Football Focus.
The Falcons brought Gossett back to his home state last fall after the North Forsyth alum was waived by the Cleveland Browns. Prior to coming to Atlanta, Gossett appeared in five games (four starts) at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.
Gossett then spent the 2019 season on the Browns’ practice squad before opting out of the 2020 season due COVID-19.
He initially entered the league as a sixth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, becoming the first player in Forsyth County football history to be drafted.
Gossett showed off his versatility in high school, playing on both North’s offensive line and defensive line before committing to App State in 2013. He was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference as a Mountaineer and started 46 straight games.
Smith Provides Updates on Other Key Players
Hennessy isn’t the only player banged up from Sunday’s loss as tight end Feleipe Franks is dealing with a calf injury.
Because it’s a short week, other players fighting an injury are less likely to play as well. Starting cornerback A.J. Terrell (hamstring), who has missed two weeks, remains week-to-week. And safety Erik Harris (foot) is day-to-day.
“I think it will be tough for Feleipe to make it for Thursday,” Smith said, according to Ledbetter’s story. “We’ll have to see. When you’re on these short weeks … it’s not like we’ll crank up full speed [Monday] or [Tuesday]. You’re on a short week. We’ll do the same thing with A.J. You kind of assess him and where he’s at … Feleipe, Erik and A.J., we’ll just have to see. With Henny, I would definitely not expect him Thursday night.”
The Falcons are on tap for their first, and only, Thursday Night Football game of the season. It will be a revenge game for the Panthers, who lost in overtime to Atlanta in a wild Week 8 battle.