Falcons Lose AJ Terrell and Samson Ebukam to Injury Amid Panthers Blowout

The Atlanta Falcons are currently getting boatraced by the Carolina Panthers, and the injury bug just decided to grab a shovel and help dig the grave. Linebacker Samson Ebukam and cornerback AJ Terrell have officially been downgraded to out for the remainder of Sunday's game.

If you were holding a live ticket on an Atlanta second-half comeback, it might be time to respectfully close your sportsbook app. Losing your top cover corner and a veteran edge rusher while staring at a 20-3 deficit is the football equivalent of getting a flat tire on the way to a root canal.

"Marc Raimondi reported: 'LB Samson Ebukam (hamstring) and CB AJ Terrell (groin) have both been downgraded to OUT.'"

Terrell is the $81 million anchor of this secondary. He left with a groin issue, which is never a quick fix for a guy whose entire job description relies on flipping his hips and sprinting with elite receivers. He had five combined tackles on the young season before heading to the locker room.

Ebukam is dealing with a hamstring injury of his own. The 31-year-old veteran was supposed to bring some much-needed stability to the pass rush, but now he is watching the rest of this blowout from the training table.

This is a nightmare scenario for a team that is already operating with a skeleton crew. Atlanta is currently rolling with Cooper Rush at quarterback because Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are both sidelined. Now the defense is bleeding out against a Carolina squad that usually serves as a get-right game for the rest of the NFC South.

The Falcons are staring directly down the barrel of an 0-2 start after dropping Week 1 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. We will see what the MRI machines have to say on Monday morning, but Atlanta needs to figure out how to field a healthy roster before this season is completely cooked by October.