FALCONS REPORT: Abraham gets breather

It’s been a struggle for defensive end John Abraham the past 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 needed. 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 this 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.

Baker improving

Left tackle Sam Baker is coming up on four weeks since his Oct. 30 surgery for a herniated disk and taking on more responsibilities in his rehabilitation and now in practice.

“He’s ramping up in terms of what he’s been able to do not only in the training room and his rehabilitation in the weight room but also out in the field,” said Smith, who doesn’t expect Baker back in action just yet. “I can’t really put a timeline on it. It probably would be optimistic to think he’s going to be ready to go this week.”

Recovery from discectomy surgery typically takes eight to 10 weeks, and at best case maybe six weeks. The six-week mark for Baker would leave him a shot at playing the final three regular-season games against Tampa Bay, Minnesota and St. Louis.

Grimes in action

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

But Grimes played some on defense against the Panthers late in the game. 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 was in on 14 plays 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 ballgame and be productive.”