Several key pieces featured on Falcons injury report

The key players to watch this week are Darnell Mooney, Jalon Walker, Billy Bowman Jr., and Jake Matthews.

Mooney left the Falcons’ Week 4 matchup with Washington due to a hamstring injury and hasn’t played since. His limited participation in practice this week is a great sign that he could be ready to return on Sunday — and the Falcons’ offense could certainly use him. Bijan Robinson and Drake London have both entered the elite tier at their respective positions, but they’ve been asked to shoulder far too much of the offensive load.

Jalon Walker has been battling nagging injuries since training camp, but he’s managed to play in all five games and has developed into a productive piece of Atlanta’s edge rotation.

Billy Bowman Jr. appeared on the injury report late last week for the first time all season and was sidelined against the Bills. He’s off to a fantastic start to his rookie campaign, but Dee Alford stepped up in his absence and might have been the defensive player of the game. Regardless of Bowman’s status, the Falcons should feel confident in their cornerback room heading into Sunday.

The most important injury to monitor, however, is Jake Matthews. The veteran left tackle hasn’t missed a game since Week 2 of his rookie season in 2014 — the definition of an ironman — but he left at halftime against Buffalo and didn’t return. Raheem Morris said Monday that Matthews is day-to-day, which is encouraging given his durability. Still, the Falcons can’t afford another injury at tackle with Kaleb McGary and backup swing tackle Storm Norton already sidelined.