Report: Atlanta Falcons SS Keanu Neal’s knee injury ‘doesn’t appear to be something serious’

The Atlanta Falcons will have the next 10 days to think about tonight’s disappointing loss and try their best to regroup. After starting strong safety Keanu Neal went down with a knee injury in the second half, it looked like the Falcons might also have some long-term concerns in their secondary. Notwithstanding the emergence of Damontae Kazee, losing a player of Neal’s quality in the first game of the regular season is dangerously close to a worst case scenario.

Luckily we didn’t have to wait long for an update. Vaughn McClure was on hand for Dan Quinn’s post-game presser and brought us this heartwarming tidbit:

Go ahead, take a deep breath. Let out of a big sigh. I’ll wait.

Seriously though, this is fantastic news. It’s a silver lining after a rough football game full of penalties, injuries, and sloppy play on both sides of the ball. Neal will have a little extra time to get back to 100 percent before next week’s game, which is huge. If he needs to miss week 2, so be it. I’m just relieved this isn’t likely to lead to a lengthy absence.

Discuss, assuming you aren’t passed out in a pile of beer bottles, tears, and regret.