Falcons Injury Report is Already a Disaster Class Ahead of Week 2

If you were hoping the Atlanta Falcons would quickly wash off the stench of their Week 1 loss, you might want to avert your eyes from Wednesday's practice report.

According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, right guard Chris Lindstrom, and cornerback AJ Terrell all sat out with various ailments. Missing your starting quarterback, your hundred-million-dollar offensive lineman, and your top cover corner on the first real work day of the week is the football equivalent of your check engine light flashing while you are already driving on a spare tire.

"ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported the absences of Tagovailoa, Lindstrom, and Terrell from Wednesday's session."

Tagovailoa is still dealing with the oblique injury he suffered in practice last week, which forced him to miss the 20-13 opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The guy has a medical chart longer than a CVS receipt, and missing Wednesday means we are staring down the barrel of another week with the backup brigade trying to run this offense.

Lindstrom is in the concussion protocol after leaving the Steelers game, which is a massive blow considering he has only missed one regular-season game in the last five years. Add in Terrell nursing a bad shoulder, and Atlanta is suddenly missing foundational pieces on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

This is the exact kind of midweek news dump that sends oddsmakers scrambling to adjust the lines. You cannot lose this much high-end talent and expect to keep pace, especially when the contingency plan involves Cooper Rush and Michael Penix Jr., who are both miraculously practicing in full despite nursing their own back and knee issues.

The Falcons are staring down a Week 2 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, and the clock is ticking. If Tagovailoa and Lindstrom do not log at least a limited session by Friday, Atlanta fans should probably start mentally preparing for an 0-2 start.