The Falcons ruled out running back Todd Gurley ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gurley was unable to practice all week due to an unspecified knee injury. While there were no details given on whether or not it was Gurley’s arthritis knee, interim coach Raheem Morris made it clear Gurley was banged up from last weekend.
“The [Saints] game kind of got out of hand, went more to a passing game,” Morris said Friday via ESPN. “Obviously he came out of the game with some battle wounds from the game that he got in that game, so we’ve gotta see where he is and see what he can do. But obviously, that was a tough, physical game that we just played.”
How Much Time Will Gurley Miss?
Gurley injured his left knee back in college, but it didn’t begin to bother him or damper his production until about two seasons ago.
Obviously, we aren’t’ sure what the knee injury is, but it’s most likely that nagging left knee swelling up due to arthritis he developed post-surgery.
The 26-year-old has played in each of the Falcons’ first 10 games this year having 167 carries for 610 yards and nine touchdowns, plus 16 catches for 82 yards. He is currently ranked sixth in the NFL in carries entering Week 12.
Morris didn’t give a timeline on when Gurley will be ready to go again, but he is optimistic that it will be sooner rather than later.
“One time he came off with a little something, but he was able to go out there,” Morris said. “He’s such a tough warrior-mentality type of guy to go at all times. We know he’s gonna try to go back out there when he can.”
Next in line on the running back depth chart is Brian Hill. Hill has been a backup over the past four seasons in Atlanta. This year, he has 261 rushing yards, 111 receiving yards, one touchdown with 7.6 touches per game. The Falcons could also look to third-year tailback Ito Smith.
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More Notable Injuries
Julio Jones was limited this week because of his re-occurring hamstring injury. The Falcons canceled practice on Thursday due to COVID-19 and Jones is looking doubtful for Sunday.
Morris gave an update on Monday, but he didn’t seem too confident.
“We’ve got to get Julio in the building; he was in today getting treatment, doing all of the things he needs to do,” Morris said via AtlantaFalcons.com. “… When we get a chance to take him through Wednesday, through Thursday. Obviously, we’ll take Julio to a game-time decision and give him the best opportunity in order to go out there and be able to compete, as long as he’s healthy.”
Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst (ankle) is also listed as questionable, but some good news is that Calvin Ridley (foot) was not listed with any injury designation, meaning he suit up on Thursday.
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Raiders-Falcons: Todd Gurley Ruled Out