At first glance, the Atlanta Falcons' injury report may seem disturbing. Our two best defenders and best offensive player all missing practice during Saints Week may cause an increase in Alka-Seltzer purchases. Alas, John Abraham, Curtis Lofton and Roddy White were simply held out to rest their weary bones and should all be fine for Monday night's game of the century against New Orleans.
Jonathan Babineaux, Ovie Mughelli and Eric Weems were all limited in practice but there's not giant red flags as of yet so I expect them to play. Which brings me to my point. The Falcons (knock on wood) have avoided the catastrophic injuries that can doom a season for a contending team. This is virtually the same team from 2009, save for Dunta Robinson and a half season of Sean Weatherspoon, that went 9-7. The key difference has been their health. Here's hoping their luck holds out for another month.
The full report, courtesy of the Falcons' official site:
Did Not Practice
Falcons
DE John Abraham (groin)
LB Curtis Lofton (knee)
WR Roddy White (knee)
Saints
TE David Thomas (knee)
DT Sedrick Ellis (wrist)
T Charles Brown (back)
Limited Practice
Falcons
DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder)
RB Ovie Mughelli (shoulder)
WR Eric Weems (knee)
Saints
DL Anthony Hargrove (knee)
DT Remi Ayodele (ankle)
RB Chris Ivory (hamstring)
WR Robert Meacham (toe)