2. The effect of Mykal Walker’s absence
Another injury to take note of is that of Walker’s. He was ruled out of Sunday’s game on Friday with a groin injury that he sustained in Tampa. He did not practice at all this week.
Make no mistake about it: Walker’s absence is one that will be felt.
Walker is the defense’s signal caller. He’s the voice and commander of the unit at inside linebacker. Not having him on the field has the potential to be a huge loss if the Falcons cannot communicate properly without him.
That responsibility likely falls on a number of shoulders, but none so much as Rashaan Evans and Troy Andersen.
Andersen, specifically, is someone to watch on Sunday. The rookie inside linebacker will likely see a significant role change with Walker out.
Though Andersen has seen defensive action in almost every game this season, there should be an uptick in said action as he slides in to take over for Walker. Expect to see more of Nate Landman, too, as well as – potentially – Nick Kwiatkoski, who has been inactive up to this point.
Asked about Andersen’s progression as a rookie, here’s what Dean Pees had to say about him this week: “What I really like about him is he’s an aggressive guy. He’s going to make some rookie mistakes at times, but he’s going to make aggressive rookie mistakes. Hey, I’m fine with that. Guy’s going hard, practicing hard and learning.”
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