Breaking: Falcons Defense Loses Key Player to Achilles Injury vs Cowboys
The Atlanta Falcons will be without defensive tackle Grady Jarrett for the remainder of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jarrett suffered an Achilles strain in the second half and was quickly ruled out by the Falcons’ medical staff early in the fourth quarter. Atlanta led Dallas, 27-13, with 11 minutes to play at the time of Jarrett’s exit.
The 31-year-old Jarrett is just over a year removed from the torn ACL that cost him the final nine games of last season, something he and quarterback Kirk Cousins — who tore his Achilles the same day as Jarrett — discussed this week.
“Grady came up to me before practice (Wednesday) and he said, ‘Hey, Week 9. We both made it longer than we did last year,’ and gave me knuckles,” Cousins said. “And I said, ‘You’re right. I hadn’t even thought about that, that now it’s Week 9. We’ve kind of turned the page beyond where you and I were last year at this time.’”
Jarrett, who entered Sunday tied for the team lead with 1.5 sacks and ranked second in tackles for loss with five, was in the midst of a strong performance against the Cowboys’ offensive line.
The 6’0″, 288-pound Jarrett had two tackles — one sack and a run stop for no gain that led to a 4th down stand and turnover on downs. A team captain, Jarrett is one of the Falcons’ emotional leaders.
As Atlanta awaits news surrounding Jarrett’s long-term status, he’s been replaced by defensive tackle Kentavius Street, who was active Sunday for the first time since Week 4 in the wake of rookie Ruke Orhorhoro’s placement on injured reserve.
