As if the Atlanta Falcons' injury woes couldn't get any worse, A.J. Terrell said hold my beer. After both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa were ruled inactive prior to the Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Terrell went down in-game--which could be a crushing blow for this secondary.
The superstar cornerback broke up a long pass from Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf (where he probably got away with DPI), but the impressive PBU came at the expense of his body. He remained down after the play and was visibly injured, but right now we do not know more on the extent of the injury.
The good news here is that while he was slow to get up, Terrell eventually got up and walked off under his own power--even reportedly dapping up some of his teammates, Per Atlantafalcons.com's Will McFadden, he was looked at by trainers and later entered the blue medical tent for further evaluation.
A.J. Terrell is heading into the blue medical tent with trainers right now.
— Will McFadden (@willmcfadden) September 13, 2026
Updates on the injury Atlanta Falcons CB A.J. Terrell suffered in Week 1
On Atlanta's ensuing defensive possession, the All-Pro corner wasn't back out there--and C.J. Henderson worked with the starting cornerbacks. If A.J. Terrell doesn't return, Mike Hughes, Avieon Terrell, and Henderson will operate as the starters, but stay tuned for more updates as they come in.
So far, nothing has been revealed, but come back here and we'll have you covered. This is a player this defense certainly can't afford to lose
UPDATE: A.J. Terrell has returned to the game
According to McFadden, the 27-year-old exited the medical tent and was cleared to return after missing the Falcons' first defensive possession after his injury. He put his helmet back on earlier, which felt like a giveaway that he would return, but seeing him back on the field confirmed this is nothing to worry about.
Add us as a preferred source on Google