Falcons HC addresses Cordarelle Patterson's absence vs. Packers
The Atlanta Falcons are 2-0 after beating the Green Bay Packers in a nail-biting contest on Sunday. And they were able to do it for the second straight week without veteran weapon Cordarelle Patterson, who was inactive once again. His absence from the game was a bit of a surprise after he had practiced in […]
The Atlanta Falcons are 2-0 after beating the Green Bay Packers in a nail-biting contest on Sunday.
And they were able to do it for the second straight week without veteran weapon Cordarelle Patterson, who was inactive once again.
His absence from the game was a bit of a surprise after he had practiced in full every day leading up to Week 2's matchup.
Following the win, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was asked whether or not Patterson was a healthy scratch or not.
"For Patterson, those are coaching decisions, and as we all communicate with our players, there's a lot that goes into playing on Sunday," Smith said in the post-game presser. "He makes some decisions and you're looking at short term or you're looking at long term. Also, what the game plan is, or what personnel packages you think you need to win the game."
Patterson had been dealing with a thigh injury since the preseason. He was limited ahead of Week 1 vs. the Carolina Panthers and did not dress for the game. Whether or not he's still dealing with that injury remains to be seen, but we will know more once Wednesday's injury report is released.
Regardless of his veteran absence, the Falcons' young backs did just fine carrying the workload.
In just his second NFL debut, rookie Bijan Robinson led the ground game, finishing the day with 19 carries for 124 yards and 48 yards on four catches. Backup running back Tyler Allgeier added another 48 yards on 16 carries.
The Falcons took full advantage of Green Bay's week run defense, beating them with a final score of 25-24.
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Featured image by Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
