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The Falcons didn’t need anymore setbacks in their week 3 game against the Bears. Chicago comes to Atlanta with a healthy roster while Atlanta has already ruled out both Ricardo Allen and Kendall Sheffield for the game. With several others questionable, including star receiver Julio Jones, the sudden loss of starting rookie CB A.J. Terrell due to testing positive for COVID-19 was a massive blow.
On top of it all, the team now had to wait and see if their rookie CB spread the disease to any teammates or coaches. Those tests were taken on Saturday, but results wouldn’t come in until Sunday. Well, we now have word on those results and it is literally the best case scenario.
One day after Falcons’ CB A.J. Terrell tested positive, there are no new additions in Atlanta to the COVID-19 list, per a source; all Falcons’ players and coaches tested Saturday came back negative today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 27, 2020
The team has no additional plays or coaches who have tested positive, meaning no one else will miss the game that hasn’t already been identified.
This is a big deal for an Atlanta team that could be missing guys like Takk McKinley, Foye Oluokun and Dante Fowler Jr. as they face a potential 0-3 start to the season. It’s also a big deal for the NFL at large, as it shows their frequent testing and contact tracing protocols might just work.
For now, Atlanta dodges a bullet, though this is something to monitor over the next week or two. Our wishes are with A.J. Terrell for a quick recovery and minimal to no symptoms.