The Atlanta Falcons watched as the scariest scene of NFL Week 6 took place in front of them.
Their teammate, rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, lay on the turf after a hit gone wrong. He wasn’t getting up.
Eventually, Daniels had to be placed on the back board and carted off the field. He was taken to a local hospital.
You could tell on the faces of the Falcons’ players that it was a reminder that sometimes, the outcome of an individual game doesn’t really feel all that important.
The Falcons lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, mounting a comeback effort but not getting all the way back.
The good news is that after the game, the latest update on Daniels was a positive one.
Kendal Daniels Injury Update
The last update shared by a couple of Falcons beat writers is that Daniels returned to the Atlanta locker room at some point after the game.
He had been taken to a nearby hospital, so it’s clearly a positive that they were able to get him back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Even better: Daniels was walking under his own power.
Here’s what The Athletic’s Josh Kendall shared:
Kendal Daniels returned to Atlanta’s locker room moments ago, still in game pants and walking under his own power.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) October 18, 2026
There will still be time in the future for the Atlanta reporters to learn more about the full extent of Daniels’ injuries, and potentially to talk with him about what he experienced.
But for the immediate postgame aftermath on Sunday, just the fact that Daniels was back with his teammates and walking on his own was a massive plus after how scary the moments had been while he was down on the field and carted off.
What Happened to Kendal Daniels?
Daniels had been injured attempting to tackle Bears tight end Colston Loveland.
The rookie linebacker went low and ended up getting his head aligned with Loveland’s right knee as they made contact. It caused an apparent neck injury for Daniels, whose head and neck were essentially smashed backward by Loveland’s knee.
The Falcons training staff had to cut Daniels’ jersey top off to get some of his pads out of the way while he lay on the field, and he was eventually carted off while immobilized on the board.
His teammates had surrounded him and were clearly shaken up by what had happened.
It must’ve been a relief to many to see Daniels back moving around among his teammates after the game.
Falcons’ Kendal Daniels Injury Update Postgame Brings Good News