Buccaneers vs. Falcons: Calvin Ridley ruled out with ankle injury

The 2018 Falcons season has been an injury-fueled nightmare, and that trend continued Sunday when rookie wideout Calvin Ridley left the field with an ankle injury. Ridley was initially labeled questionable to return to the game against the Bucs. He was ruled out at the half.

Ridley had three catches for 47 yards before leaving the game. He was taken to the locker room for further examination shortly after suffering the injury.

In Ridley’s absence, the team will need Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu in particular to step up. Both have already done so, with Jones hauling in all five of his targets so far for 35 yards and Sanu grabbing a 35-yard catch for a touchdown.

It’s the second notable injury of the game. Defensive tackle Jack Crawford, who is starting for an injured Grady Jarrett, also left the game with a head and neck injury. Crawford was also questionable to return, and I wouldn’t have expected him to make it back in the game considering the nature of the injury. However, Crawford did return, so that’s at least a little good news.

This season has been a disaster because of injuries. Here’s hoping Ridley’s isn’t serious enough to cause him to miss much time. Ridley has 302 yards and leads the Falcons with six touchdowns on the season so far.