Atlanta Falcons Lose Critical Offensive Player Against Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, MA – The Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots have split just a single possession apiece, but there has already been a major development. The Falcons lost left guard Mathew Bergeron after he was carted off the field. It later emerged that he was questionable to return with an ankle injury. 

The standout left guard has been a steady force for the Falcons’ offensive line since he was drafted three years ago. Since the Falcons drafted Bergeron in the second round (38th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, he has never missed a start in Atlanta. The 25-year-old guard has started all 34 of his possible games in Atlanta. 

A four-year contributor out of Syracuse, Bergeron played in 46 games. He started 11 games at left tackle and was named a team captain in 2022, earning second-team All-ACC honors as a senior. In 2021, he was an honorable mention All-ACC after starting 12 games at left tackle. 

He transferred inside after being drafted by the Falcons, and his run of success has followed him to the NFL. 

Bergeron has since anchored the left side of the offensive line. In 2024, blocked for an offense that ranked sixth in the league with 369.82 yards per game. This season, the left guard is helping spur a unit that is rushing for 123.3 yards per game and picking up 342.7 total yards. 

In his place, reserve interior offensive lineman Kyle Hinton stepped in. The fourth-year pro out of Washburn has appeared in 35 games (one start) since 2022 for the Vikings and Falcons, but only once this season. Hinton has one start since coming to Atlanta in 2023. 

Through the first two possessions of the game, the Falcons have yet to pick up a single first down. They trail early after the pair of three-and-outs. 

Sunday figures to be a critical game for the Falcons as they look to avoid a midseason three-game losing streak. They are facing off with a red-hot Patriots team that has won five straight games coming into Week 9. 

The Falcons' offense has been under a particularly intense amount of scrutiny, but especially after last Sunday's 24-point loss to the Miami Dolphins. Atlanta's offense barely managed to get over 200 yards of total offense and they scored just 10 points in the loss.

Now, a struggling Falcons offense will likely need to traverse this game without one of their stalwart interior offensive linemen.