Atlanta Falcons Rule Out 3 Starters vs. Buffalo Bills

The Atlanta Falcons (2-2) return to action on primetime Monday Night as they take on the Buffalo Bills (4-1) after a quick break from action with a bye last week. The Falcons will be down three starters tonight with wide receiver Darnell Mooney, wide receiver Ray Ray McCloud and rookie corner back Billy Bowman Jr. all out for the game. 

Mooney, who was eight yards shy of the 1,000 yard mark last season, has been dealing with different injuries all season. He first injured his shoulder during the first day of training camp, which sidelined him until Week 2. He then left a game early in the third quarter of Week 4. It was originally reported that Mooney would not miss any time with the Falcons, having a Week 5 bye; however, that is not the case. 

McCloud is not injured but is instead a healty scratch, an interesting choice with Mooney down with injury. Look for second-year wide receiver Casey Washington to take a lot of those snaps, a player whom quarterback Michael Penix Jr. developed chemistry during training camp with Mooney out. 

Bowman was drafted by the Falcons in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. The rookie has 17 tackles, 0.5 sacks, two passes defended, one forced fumble, and one interception in four career games. As corner back A.J. Terrell returns to the lineup, the Falcons lose a different corner in Bowman. Dee Alford will likely take Bowman’s snaps. 

On the Bills side, they will be without wide receiver Curtis Samuel, linebacker Matt Milano, linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo, tackle Chase Lundt and tight end Dalton Kincaid. 

Kincaid was questionable for the game and was a last-minute addition to the inactive list. He has 287 yards and three touchdowns on the season, leading the Bills in both categories.

With Atlanta down two receivers they will likely lean heavily on running back Bijan Robinson. The Bills currently have the 28th best run defense in the NFL (in terms of rushing yards per game) so look for the Falcons to try to take advantage on the ground. 

A hard game for Atlanta becomes even harder with three starters being listed as inactive prior to the Monday Night Showdown.