The Atlanta Falcons were dealt an early double hit Monday night in New Orleans, with edge rusher Za'Darius Smith and left tackle Jake Mathews both going down in the first quarter against the Saints.
Smith was the first to exit, leaving after the opening defensive possession. The training staff initially rolled the cart out for him, but he walked off under his own power before heading to the locker room for evaluation of a concussion and neck injury. He was later ruled out and did not return.
That’s a tough break for a Falcons defense already stretched thin on the edge. Smith leads the team with 2.5 sacks and ranks third on the roster with 11 quarterback pressures. Atlanta is already missing James Pearce Jr. until Week 9 and Jalon Walker for the season, so losing another pass rusher would only make life harder for that front seven.
The injury situation got worse on offense later in the quarter when Mathews went down as well. The team announced a groin injury, and he was listed as questionable to return. Michael Jerrell stepped in at left tackle in his place.
Monday was a notable milestone for Mathews, who was making his 200th career start in a Falcons uniform. That put him fourth in franchise history to reach that mark. He has been one of Atlanta’s most reliable players for a long time, missing just one game during that stretch and owning the NFL’s longest active streak for games started at 199.
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