The Falcons have been relatively healthy since the season began. The only significant injury came in the offseason when Avery Williams suffered a non-contact season-ending injury.
Cordarrelle Patterson and Jeff Okudah have yet to make their 2023 debuts, but they seem to be trending toward playing against the Lions on Sunday. Though they’ve both been practicing, Arthur Smith updated their injury status, telling the media the pair are questionable for Week 3.
It was a similar story last week against the Packers. They were practicing throughout the week, even earning the full participation designation, but the overall health is more important to the team than one game. It’s a long season, so it makes sense to play it safe with a 32-year-old and another who has dealt with injuries for much of his career.
Cordarrelle Patterson did tell reporters that he is “very confident” he will play Sunday. However, he did add that he expected to play last week, too. But as I said earlier, he’s an aging player who has been banged up for two years in a row. “I’m in Year 11, my body doesn’t heal like it did 11 years ago. Just trying to be smart. It’s a long season.”
Fortunately, it seems Troy Andersen will return, but it’s not like the team missed him terribly. Admittedly, when I saw he wasn’t going to play last, I got worried. However, Nate Landman proved me wrong. The undrafted free agent didn’t just handle himself, but he actually provided a ton of positive plays, mostly in the run game. Landman will certainly have his number called more often with his play against the Packers.
On a different note, the Lions are dealing with a laundry list of injuries. Dam Campbell officially ruled out Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Emmanuel Moseley, while the jury is still out on David Montgomery, Taylor Decker, and Kerby Joseph. Amon-Ra St. Brown is also banged, so the Falcons will once again have the health advantage.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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