Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas, who had a career-high 149 yards receiving Oct. 20 in the last matchup with Tampa Bay, missed practice with a knee injury Thursday.
Douglas was an addition to the injury report after he practiced Wednesday.
The Falcons (2-7) are set to play the Buccaneers (1-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
In addition to Douglas, tight end Tony Gonzalez (left toe) and defensive end Malliciah Goodman (calf) did not practice. Coach Mike Smith wasn’t ready to rule out Gonzalez, who leads the team with 47 catches and four touchdowns.
“I would never count Tony Gonzalez out,” Smith said. “Never. Tony didn’t practice (Thursday). We hope that he’ll get out here (Friday) and do some things for us.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan would like to have all of his weapons as he tries to shake out of a slump. Over the past three games, the Falcons are 0-3, and Ryan has a registered a passer rating of 61.6 with three touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Ryan had his last solid game in a 31-23 win over Tampa Bay in October at the Georgia Dome. He passed for 273 yards while completing 20 of 26 passes.
Coming out of the bye week, Ryan leaned heavily on Douglas, who caught seven passes and a touchdown in his first game as the No. 1 wide receiver, with Julio Jones and Roddy White out. Ryan also tossed two touchdown passes to running back Jacquizz Rodgers.
The Falcons needed the highest passer rating (148.4) of Ryan’s career to beat the Bucs because they mustered only 18 yards rushing on 18 carries.
For the rematch, Ryan is not sure if Tampa Bay will try to match cornerback Darrelle Revis on Douglas, if he can play, or White, who caught one pass for 20 yards last week against Seattle.
“We have to kind of prepare for everything,” Ryan said. “We don’t know what they are going to do or how they are going to try and defend us. We have to make plans for whatever they do. If they match him to Roddy or match him to Harry or if they keep him on a side, we have to prepare for all of that.”
Run-game woes: During a rare padded practice, the Falcons worked on perking up their stagnant running game before facing a stout Tampa Bay defense, which gives up 95.8 yards per game and ranks fifth in the NFL.
The Falcons hope to get a push along the line of scrimmage, where they’ve been getting mashed all season. The Falcons average 64.3 yards rushing per game, last in the league.
“The thing that you have to do is work on your leverage,” Smith said. “Playing lower than your opponent. There are some things we are doing drill-wise that I think will help our guys. We have a limited number of live snaps in pads.”
In the previous meeting, the Falcons rushed for 18 yards on 18 attempts.
“This is a team that is a lot better than their record,” Smith said. “We’ve got to win the line of scrimmage if we are going to run the ball successfully.”
In their first win of the season Monday night, the Bucs held the Dolphins to 2 yards rushing on 14 attempts.
Baker update: The Falcons will play without offensive tackle Sam Baker, who was placed on injured reserve. Second-year man Lamar Holmes started for Baker in the previous matchup against the Bucs.
“It’s been a tough year for Sam with the injuries,” Ryan said. “His mental approach to it has been awesome. He’s battled. He’s done everything that he can to be out there. I’ve spoken with him, and I certainly wish him the best.”
Etc.: Running back Jason Snelling (knee) and defensive tackle Corey Peters (knee) returned to practice and were limited. … Defensive tackle Peria Jerry (toe) and White (shoulder) were limited. … Running back Steven Jackson (toe) and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (foot) fully participated. … Safety William Moore said that he was fined for his hit on Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate on Sunday. Moore has been fined four times this season.
