The Atlanta Falcons were riding high after an impressive Week 4 victory over the Commanders, and that carried over into the bye week. While the Dirty Birds enjoyed Week 5 from the couch, all three NFC South foes won on Sunday, tightening a division race that's already razor thin.
The Falcons will have a daunting test coming out of the bye as they host reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. The Bills are fresh off of their first loss of 2025, and will head to Atlanta with a surplus of motivation entering what figures to be a high-scoring affair in primetime.
The Bills enter Monday Night Football with a lot on the line and the same goes for the Falcons. Raheem Morris announced earlier this week that A.J. Terrell will be back in the lineup, but even after an extra week of rest, Darnell Mooney's status remains up in the air.
Falcons' first Week 6 injury report comes with no surprises
Fresh off of the bye week, the Falcons enter Week 6 prelatively healthy. Mooney is still battling his hamstring injury suffered in Week 4, but with Terrell returning to the lineup there are no noteworthy absences from the team's Thursday injury report. And with that said, here's how the injury report played out.
Did not participate
- WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring)
- CB Clark Phillips III (triceps)
Limited participants
- WR KhaDarrel Hodge (groin)
- CB A.J. Terrell Jr. (hamstring)
- CB Natrone Brooks (concussion/shoulder)
Full participants
- RB Nathan Carter (hamstring)
- DL Ta'Quon Graham (calf)
Let's break this down. Morris said Mooney wouldn't practice today, but said he remains day-to-day—so he still has a shot to play. Luckily, fellow wideout KhaDarrel Hodge is ramping up in his return from a groin injury that saw him miss Week 4 against Washington.
Additionally, Clark Phillips III made his season debut in the 34-27 victory, but was previously sidelined with a rib issue. He's been merely a depth piece for Atlanta this season, but his presence means more Dee Alford against Buffalo.
Natrone Brooks left the Commanders game and didn't return due to a concusssion suffered on special teams, but he remains banged up. It's a good sign that he practiced, but a bad sign that he is now also dealing with a shoulder issue.
The best news here is that rookie EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. practiced in full and was absent from the injury report. The first-round pick out of Tennessee has been battling a groin injury for a few weeks now, but the extra rest allotted from the bye week has him at 100% and on track to play against the Bills.
More clarity will be provided in both tomorrow and Saturday's injury reports, as the Falcons are looking to hand one of the NFL's best offenses their second straight loss.