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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Atlanta Falcons can't catch a break.
They lost their two star edge rushers, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., before the start of the regular season. Walker tore his ACL in training camp, and Pearce was hit with an eight-game suspension to start the year. Defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand was also placed on injured reserve after the season opener with a quad injury.
Meanwhile, on offense, Michael Penix Jr. missed the Falcons' first two games while recovering from his own ACL tear, and Tua Tagovailoa missed both as well with an oblique injury.
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Atlanta is 0-2 entering Week 3 with back-to-back road matchups at Green Bay and New Orleans on the horizon. Not the situation Falcons fans were hoping for this early in the season.
But things only got worse Tuesday as the team placed star cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. on IR with a groin injury.
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Terrell was the Falcons' 16th overall pick in 2020 after a standout career at Clemson, where he won a national championship and All-ACC honors under Dabo Swinney.
The success translated over to the NFL right away. As a rookie, he recorded 74 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and one interception across 14 games.
He looked even better in Year 2, posting a career-high 81 total tackles, three tackles for loss, 16 pass breakups, one sack, one forced fumble, and three interceptions, earning second-team All-Pro honors.
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His numbers have trailed off a bit in recent years, but he remains Atlanta's shutdown corner and one of their best defensive players. Now, he'll be forced to miss at least the next four games.
The schedule doesn't look great for Atlanta over that span either. After the Packers and Saints, they'll host the Ravens and Bears. That's four of the highest-powered offenses in the NFL that the Falcons will need to navigate without their top corner.
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