Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Monday, Dec. 20

Falcons - 49ers recap

Yesterday was a must-win game for the Atlanta Falcons. If they hoped to sniff the playoffs, taking care of San Francisco on the road was a box that had to be checked. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they dropped this one — and their playoff chances dropped right along with it.

The game started on a terrific note, with the Falcons recovering a Niners fumble on the kickoff. They could not muster points on the heels of that turnover, which set the tone a bit for how the remainder of the contest would go.

We did not have this notched as a win in our weekly predictions, but it hurts nonetheless considering the context of this game. With the loss, the playoffs are essentially out of reach.

Injuries

Matt Ryan has lost yet another option on offense, as wide receiver, Tajae Sharpe was ruled out with a foot injury in the fourth quarter. We’ll monitor his status as the week rolls along.

Safety Erik Harris placed on IR

We’ve known for a few days now that safety Erik Harris would miss the remainder of the 2021 NFL season, and the Falcons finally made it official by placing him on injured reserve.

With the transaction, the team promoted defenders Shawn Williams and Dorian Etheridge to the active roster.

MOOOOCKS

With the virtual end of the Atlanta Falcons’ season, it’s officially mock draft time. Thankfully, ESPN’s Todd McShay was ready with his initial mock for the 2022 NFL Draft, one that has the Falcons snagging a top wide receiver.

COVID chaos

This week saw the most NFL players added to the reserve/COVID-19 list since the pandemic began. It’s bad: Just look at the state of the Cleveland Browns.

With the rapid rise of the omicron variant of the virus, the final weeks of this season seem like they’re headed for COVID-induced chaos.