Ailing Abraham likely to play vs. Chargers

It’s been a struggle for defensive end John Abraham the last three games, playing through pain in his left shoulder after suffering a stinger against New Orleans Nov. 9.

He went down again in the fourth quarter against Carolina and sat out the last 13 minutes of the game. But Falcons coach Mike Smith said Monday Abraham should be able to go Sunday in San Diego.

“We’re not anticipating any major setbacks,” Smith said. “We think he’ll be ready to go, but we’ll know a whole lot more on Wednesday when we go out on the field.”

Smith said Abraham could have come back in the game Sunday, if need be. But with a lead over the Panthers, they didn’t push it.

Abraham sacked Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme once despite limited action, to give him 12 sacks on the season. He’s tied for second in the NFL with James Harrison of Pittsburgh and DeMarcus Ware of Dallas, behind Joey Porter of Miami (14.5).

Abraham needs five sacks in the last five games to break Joel Williams’ Falcons single season record of 16.

Grimes in action

Cornerback Brent Grimes has been relegated to special teams for the better part of the last five games while battling knee and ankle problems. Domonique Foxworth moved into his starting spot on Oct. 26 against Philadelphia.

But Grimes played some snaps on defense against the Panthers late. The Falcons hope to start working him back into the cornerback rotation.

“We wanted to get him some snaps in this game,” Smith said. “I thought it was very important to get him back because he was close to being 100 percent. As we go down the stretch, we feel like we’ve got to have everybody ready to go.”

Weems impression

Receiver Eric Weems got the first reception of his NFL career Sunday when he caught the only pass thrown his way for a 4-yard gain. The play set up the Falcons’ first touchdown on a 7-yard toss sweep by Harry Douglas, who credited Weems with a nice block on the play. Weems also played 14 snaps on special teams.

Weems was added to the active roster last week from the practice squad after the Falcons waived defensive end Brandon Miller. As a rookie last year, Weems spent most of the season on the practice squad before making his debut in the last game of the season against Seattle.

“I thought (Weems) made the pivotal block there on the sideline,” Smith said of Douglas’ touchdown. “And I thought he did a nice job of getting positive yards up the field there in the red zone (on the reception). It was nice to see a young man that has been on the practice squad all season get an opportunity to play in this ball game and be productive.”