Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White will take the field for tonight’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. He and center Todd McClure were able to take a limited role in yesterday’s practice after suffering injuries against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Rookie LB Sean Weatherspoon will miss his seventh game after missing each of this week’s practices. Also not playing tonight: DE Lawrence Sidbury, DT Trey Lewis, TE Justin Peelle, CB Dominique Franks, OL Garrett Reynolds, OL Mike Johnson, and QB John Parker Wilson.
The Falcons need White tonight. The Ravens are tough against the run, as always, and the Falcons’ best chance of getting Michael Turner and Jason Snelling going is to keep both Baltimore safeties wary of the deep ball.
Just as vital: McClure. With Ravens DT Haloti Ngata, an All-Pro contender, in the house, McClure will need a hand from guards Harvey Dahl and Justin Blalock, but without their veteran center the Falcons would have been forced to trot out rookie Joe Hawley against perhaps the league’s best nose tackle.
The Ravens are down safety Tom Zbikowski, who doesn’t start and has primarily been used as a punt returner.