John Abraham injury: Ankle injury deemed 'minor'

Falcons defensive end John Abraham suffered a left ankle injury in Atlanta's 22-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but head coach Mike Smith said after the game that it was not serious (via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution):

"The early reports are that it's minor," Smith said. "We're not overly concerned. We'll definitely have an evaluation (Monday). We don't know a whole lot more. I did check with the trainer just prior to coming in here."

Abraham injured the ankle in the fourth quarter of the loss, which upset some Falcons fans. Atlanta already had the No. 1 seed in the NFC locked up prior to the game, so some wondered why so many key players were still on the field late in the game. Luckily, Abraham and the Falcons have appeared to avoid a major injury.

The 34-year-old Abraham has enjoyed a solid year for the Falcons. He leads the team in sacks with 10 and also leads the team in forced fumbles with six. He has 35 total tackles on the season and five tackles for loss.

Abraham will have plenty of time to heal up, as Atlanta has a first round bye before hosting a home playoff game in two weeks.