Falcons injury report: Devonta Freeman did not practice with new foot injury

The Atlanta Falcons released their injury report today ahead of Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. The Bucs game feels like one Atlanta wins, if only to keep our hopes alive of a playoff push before those hopes are finally dashed. Like they always are.

The good news? Derrick Shelby and Justin Bethel were limited, suggesting they are almost guaranteed to play on Sunday. Bethel is one of the league’s better special teams player, so he should be a decent boost. Shelby is Atlanta’s top run-stuffing defensive end, and honestly, any defensive line help would be great. Literally any help would be great.

The bad news?

I would not have expected Jarrett to practice before Thursday, typically the most important practice day when looking at injuries. A limited practice tomorrow would set him up as a potential game-day decision. Failing to practice tomorrow would make it very unlikely Jarrett plays.

Devonta Freeman popped up with a new injury. Terrible news for a player that just got back from injury and is also just sitting on the bench on my fantasy team. There’s no word on the severity of the injury, but Freeman appeared to finish out the Steelers game just fine. Quinn may be giving Freeman a rest day.

If Freeman is out, it may hurt, but statistically the team scores significantly more points with Freeman out. There’s actually a pretty striking point difference for when Freeman plays and when he’s out. When he plays, Sarkisian’s offense averages 19.1 points per game. When he’s out, Sarkisian’s offense averages 33.2 points per game. There’s nothing clearly explaining why, but it is an interesting stat to keep in mind in the future.