Falcons Downgrade Za'Darius Smith to Out Ahead of Ravens Matchup

The Atlanta Falcons will have to try and slow down the Baltimore Ravens without one of their veteran edge rushers.

ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported Saturday that defensive end Za'Darius Smith has officially been downgraded to out for tomorrow's game.

"Marc Raimondi tweeted: 'DE Za’Darius Smith has been downgraded to OUT for tomorrow’s game. #Falcons'"

Atlanta is riding high after hanging 45 points on the New Orleans Saints last week in a 45-24 blowout. But stopping Baltimore's offense is a completely different math problem than outscoring the Saints.

Losing a veteran edge setter like Smith right before you have to chase around the Ravens' backfield is objectively terrible timing. It is the defensive equivalent of showing up to a final exam and realizing you brought a dead calculator.

If you were looking at Ravens offensive props or the game total, Smith's absence is the kind of late-week scratch that makes you double-check the numbers. Less pressure off the edge usually translates to longer drives, cleaner pockets, and a much longer day for the secondary.

The Falcons will have to rely on their depth to hold the line this weekend. We will see if Smith can get right for next week, but for now, Atlanta's defense has a massive hole to patch before kickoff.