Behind Enemy Lines: Falcons lose pass rusher
Every day this week, we’ll round up content on the Packers' opponent in Sunday’s NFC championship game, the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons reportedly placed defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon after he suffered a torn biceps against the Seahawks.
Writing for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Matt Winklejohn examines how the loss of Clayborn will affect the Falcons’ defensive line rotation.
When Clayborn was lost on the third defensive snap in Saturday’s 36-20 playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Falcons lost a very productive player.
Clayborn missed three games during the regular season with a knee injury, yet still finished second on the team with 4.5 sacks and second with eight tackles for lost yardage. The six-year veteran started seven games and played in 13, finishing with 22 tackles, 14 quarterback hits and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The Falcons still have defensive ends Dwight Freeney, Brooks Reed and Tyson Jackson and outside linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. often plays like an end.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn is drawing on his time in Seattle and asking for a raucous crowd to show up for his team’s game against the Packers.
Former Falcons tight end and NFL great Tony Gonzalez talked about Matt Ryan and the Falcons in a recent interview:
Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was mic’d up for Saturday’s game against the Seahawks.
The Falcons are joining some pretty decent company by closing out the Georgia Dome with a championship game:
Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon won’t be on the field for the game between the Falcons and Packers due to an Achilles injury suffered early in the year, but he chimes in with a pretty succinct scouting report on Aaron Rodgers: “He’s scary.”