Two significant injury updates for the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons fell to the 49ers on Sunday night, and the loss was made worse by a pair of potentially significant injuries to key players.

Linebacker Divine Deablo left the game early and did not return. Head coach Raheem Morris revealed today that Deablo suffered a forearm fracture and is considered week-to-week, meaning he’ll likely miss quite a bit of time — a major blow for Atlanta’s defense. Deablo has been one of the best additions of the offseason, immediately stepping into the middle of the defense and making an impact against both the run and the pass.

In his absence, second-year linebacker JD Bertrand filled in, but the situation could force the Falcons to revisit Troy Andersen’s status. Andersen has yet to play this season due to a lingering knee injury from last year, but his return couldn’t come at a better time now that Deablo is sidelined.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is also dealing with an injury after taking several punishing hits against San Francisco. He’s reportedly nursing a bone bruise in his foot and is considered day-to-day. The silver lining is that Atlanta has a capable backup in Kirk Cousins — though that could spark some uncomfortable conversations if Cousins performs well while Penix recovers, especially after another shaky outing from the rookie signal-caller.