[ad_1]
The defeat of the Falcons season against the Eagles on Thursday night was even more ugly than what he had at the start This will cost the Falcons more than a match in the standings.
Friday, the Falcons announced that Keanu Neal, the Pro Bowl safety, would miss the rest of the year after suffering a knee injury late in the season Thursday night. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the injury is a torn ACL.
Neal went down twice during the match. After the first instance, he was able to return. But he fell again and was sidelined for the rest of the game. The severity of the injury could be a surprise given the comments made by Dan Quinn after the match, when he said that "It does not sound or seems to be something serious."
It ended up being serious. And the ramifications for the Falcons are just as serious.
In Neal, the Falcons lose a solid safety to the Pro Bowl who has played 30 games in the first two years of his career, accumulating interception, 15 defended passes, eight forced fumbles and 153 solo tackles. Pro Football Focus ranked as the fourth best Falcons player last season, behind only Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and Deion Jones. Since 2016, no security has forced more flight attempts than Neal.
In this sense, Neal is more of a security kind of Kam Chancellor than a Earl Thomaswhich means the Falcons are unlikely to offer the Seahawks a first choice for Thomas. If the Falcons decide to look for Neal's replacement outside of Atlanta, their best option is Eric Reid. Prior to the 2017 season, Reid went from safety to security with the 49ers and immediately took on his new role. In 13 games last season, he recorded 52 solo tackles and a career high 26 stops, by PFF. The Falcons should absolutely benefit from the fact that there is a first class security on the open market at the beginning of September.
Reid, former teammate of Colin Kaepernick, participated in the protests against racial injustice by kneeling in the national anthem. In May, Reid filed a grievance of collusion against the NFL.
Among the other options outside, there are twice the Pro Bowler TJ Ward, who recently charged drug charges, lost, Quintin Demps, who played three games with the Bears last season, and Tyvon Branch, who started nine games with the Cardinals a year ago. None of these actors is really a good option, but it is especially – with the rare exception of Reid – what exists in free trade at this stage of the calendar.
If the Falcons do not want to bring somebody outside, they will probably be with Damontae Kazee, who made a huge game Thursday night when he dislodged a pass and created an interception. Kazee, a fifth round pick a year ago, played every 16 games with a start in his rookie season, finishing with 10 solo tackles and two forced fumbles.
The Falcons entered the season with the legitimate aspirations of the Super Bowl. But a terrible night in the red zone and a devastating injury have already dented those hopes. It's early, but the way they react to both problems could end up defining their season.
[ad_2]
Source link
