Falcons safety William Moore sat out practice with a hamstring injury on Thursday, placing him in jeopardy of missing his third straight game on Saturday in Detroit.
Playing without Moore again would leave the Falcons thin at his position. Chris Hope has started in Moore’s place but when Hope was sidelined during last Sunday’s game against the Giants, cornerback Dominque Franks was forced to play safety for the first time.
Moore, a Pro Bowl candidate, ranks second on the team with 75 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Falcons reserve defensive end Cliff Matthews (hamstring) also missed practice on Thursday. He played against the Giants.
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (knee) practiced on a limited basis after sitting out the previous two sessions this week. White, who has never missed a game in his pro career, played against the Giants last Sunday only after testing the knee on game day.
For the Lions, tight end Brandon Pettigrew (ankle) did not practice on Thursday. Pettigrew suffered the injury on Dec. 9 against the Packers.
Schedule shake-up: The Falcons will be playing on Saturday after already having played a game on a Monday and a Thursday. The team brushed off adjustments to the varying schedule.
“It’s nothing we pay too much attention to,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “We take every game as they come, whether we have three days, four days or 10 days to get ready for it.”
Douglas shines: Wide receiver Harry Douglas had three catches for a season-high 83 yards against the Giants. His production was important on a day when White, slowed by the knee injury, wasn't involved as much in the offense.
Douglas is not such a frequent target because quarterback Matt Ryan has so many other options including White, wide receiver Julio Jones and tight end Tony Gonzalez.
“Harry is a guy that we feel has a very good skill set obviously,” coach Mike Smith said. “He’s a guy that deserves to get his touches. Sometimes we don’t have the opportunity to get him the ball because it’s going other places.”
No fine: Hope was expecting to be fined by the NFL on Thursday for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. But the league did not notify him of any disciplinary action. Hope was penalized for unnecessary roughness on the play.
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