Three Atlanta Falcons who should see zero playing time this weekend vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Atlanta Falcons aren’t playing for much as we head down the stretch of the 2020 season.
Unfortunately, the Falcons were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their ugly loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and are now just playing for draft position as we head into the final three games of what has been a forgettable season.
As we continue to prepare for the matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, here are three Atlanta Falcons who should see zero playing time this weekend.
3. Julio Jones
Julio Jones has been banged up to say the least and that’s why he is on this list.
It’d be great to get Jones back and to see what he is capable of doing in the last three games of the year, but that simply doesn’t matter at this point.
It’d be much wiser to hold him out of this one and to allow him the opportunity to continue to heal up. If Jones gets another week under his belt and he is feeling better, then it might be worth it to see him come back and play the final couple, but there’s no reason to rush him back and risk a worse injury.
2. Todd Gurley
We all know that Todd Gurley is going to play in this game and that he’ll be getting the vast majority of the carries.
But that doesn’t mean that’s what the Falcons should do.
Unfortunately at this point, there’s no reason to continue to play Gurley at a high clip. Perhaps saying he should play ‘zero snaps’ is a little far, but the truth of the matter is that he’s likely not coming back next year.
If Gurley isn’t going to be back, the Falcons need to turn to Brian Hill and Ito Smith to see what these guys might be capable of doing against one the league’s best front-sevens as an opportunity to look forward to the future and the depth at the running back position.
1. Matt Ryan
There is no reason for Matt Ryan to play anymore this season.
We’ve seen what he can do and we all understand that he is aging with every snap. That’s why Kurt Benkert needs the opportunity to prove what he can do.
We all know that Matt Schaub‘s time in the league has passed, but Benkert is still young and could prove to be a valuable backup. At the very least, he deserves his chance to prove what he is capable of developing into at the position.
The Falcons risk absolutely nothing by playing Benkert, but they at least should be able to glean an answer from there about what they have at the position heading into the 2021 offseason.
The Falcons and Buccaneers will kickoff in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.