Atlanta Falcons missing two critical players for vital game against Giants

The Atlanta Falcons are in no man’s land, they have a lot of talent in different areas but not the depth to compete for a full season.

They have been one of the most injured teams over the past few years. Think about all the times they lost Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee, Deion Jones, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley,  and others. And while most of those guys are not with the team anymore, it has proven that Atlanta has lacked depth for years now.

Sadly they will be tested again as three players have been ruled out – two of which are huge pieces to the team.

The Falcons will be without their top corner and second-string wide receiver for Sunday’s game.

It was more likely than not that A.J. Terrell and Russell Gage would miss Sunday’s game, but until it is officially announced, there was always hope. Unfortunately, the two of them – and Frank Darby – will not be available for the pivotal game against New York.

Certainly, the Falcon’s decision to bring in a former 1,000-yard receiver pointed towards the fact that Russell Gage was not going to play.

Starting with Russell Gage, he came into the season with the highest expectations of his career. Everyone knows what happened with Julio Jones, his loss added even more pressure on Russell Gage to perform.

He has been largely disappointing this season, in week one he was not even able to record a catch, and then against the Buccaneers in week two, he played better but was in and out of the lineup with the same injury that will keep him out of week three’s game.

Russell Gage on the year has a total of nine targets, five catches, and 28 yards.

Despite these very underwhelming stats, not having Gage is a huge loss as it really puts the Falcons in a bad position at the second outside receiver spot. Expect Kyle Pitts to play a large number of snaps outside.

For A.J. Terrell’s season, it has been the opposite of Gage – he has played spectacular.

He is really the Falcon’s only true starting cornerback so this is the biggest loss of the week among the three players who are ruled out.

This will require an underwhelming Fabian Moreau to step up against the Giant’s talented receivers and probably T.J. Green opposite of him. Isaiah Oliver could see some snaps outside but it figures that Dean Pees would like to keep him as the slot corner.

Then there is Frank Darby who will miss his third straight game in a row. This is not a good start to his rookie season but he is injured and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Hopefully, his play will be worth the wait.

Overall, these are a couple huge losses for the Atlanta Falcons as they enter a game they must win. It will not be easy – especially now – but it is against a team that they should beat on paper.