The Atlanta Falcons haven’t had great injury luck so far this season, and that continued on Sunday against the Chicago Bears in Week 6.
Early in the game, Michael Penix Jr. went to the blue medical tent, but he was able to stay in the game, so that could’ve been worse. The fortunes weren’t as good for linebacker Divine Deablo.
Deablo was initially deemed questionable to return, but the news got worse, not better.
Divine Deablo Injury Update
Deablo was ruled out for the remainder of the game by an official announcement from the Falcons.
He had an arm injury, and they announced even before the half that they wouldn’t have Deablo the rest of the way.
Deablo is a crucial player for the Falcons — he’s their “green dot,” meaning he’s the guy who relays the play calls in to the defense.
Without Deablo, that duty has to change.
They gave the green dot to Kendal Daniels, a rookie.
And the middle linebacker now in the game for Deablo is Josh Woods, another rookie.
Falcons’ News Gets Worse After Injury
The Falcons were also hurting themselves on the field.
They got the Bears stopped on a fourth-and-1 late in the first half, and Chicago punted rather than go for it.
The Falcons didn’t catch the punt, though. The rookie Zechariah Branch muffed it.
Initially, it looked like a defensive touchdown, but that’s actually not allowed. The muff can’t be advanced.
The Bears didn’t waste time, though. They got D’Andre Swift into the end zone to take a 21-7 lead with less than two minutes left in the half.
Chicago’s offense is certainly explosive with QB Caleb Williams back, so the fact that the Falcons don’t have Deablo available is definitely not good news toward helping Atlanta come back against a team that they’ll have a tough time stopping.
Divine Deablo Injury Update: Why Falcons’ LB Left Game, Return Status