Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, who has missed only two games in his stellar 17-year career, suffered a left toe injury against Seattle on Sunday and did not practice Wednesday.
Running back Jason Snelling (knee), defensive end Malliciah Goodman (calf) and defensive tackle Corey Peters (knee) also did not practice.
“That was a very physical football game,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said after practice. “Tony, we kept inside today (with the trainers).”
Smith said he expected Snelling to return to practice Thursday.
“Some of the decisions that we make, in terms of holding guys out, are a little oriented toward resting players, especially at this time of the season,” Smith said.
Defensive tackle Peria Jerry (toe), wide receiver Roddy White (shoulder), running back Steven Jackson (toe) and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (foot) all were limited in practice.
Locklear signed: The Falcons signed veteran offensive tackle Sean Locklear to fill out their 53-man roster.
With Sam Baker (knee surgery) placed on injured reserve, Locklear, who mostly has played right tackle in his career, appeared to back up struggling right tackle Jeremy Trueblood during the open portion of practice.
Locklear, 32, was drafted in the third round (84th overall) of the 2004 NFL draft by Seattle. He played at North Carolina State.
Locklear, 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, played with Seattle from 2004-10. He also has played for Washington and the New York Giants.
He has played in 117 NFL games, with 92 starts. He started all 16 regular-season games in 2005, when Seattle ended its season in the Super Bowl.
Big plays killing defense: Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan was appalled by the 12 explosive plays the defense allowed against Seattle, which amassed 490 yards of offense.
“We have to keep the explosives down,” Nolan said.
The Falcons count runs of 10 yards or more or passes of 20 yards or more as explosive plays. The Seahawks gained 312 of their 490 yards on 12 explosive plays.
The two-play, 80-yard, 57-second drive in the second quarter was particularly troublesome for Nolan. It consisted of a 37-yard run by Marshawn Lynch and a 43-yard touchdown pass on the flea flicker: Russell Wilson threw to Lynch, who threw a lateral back to Wilson, who then launched the bomb to Jermaine Kearse.
“Up to that point, we’d gave up less than we did a year ago at this point,” Nolan said. “No question, the other day in the game, that was bad.”
The Seahawks had pass plays of 46, 46, 43, 30, 27 and 23 yards. They had rushes of 37 yards, 13 yards (3), 11 and 10 yards.
Holmes improving: The Falcons appear set to finish the season with second-year man Lamar Holmes at left tackle, protecting quarterback Matt Ryan's blindside.
“Lamar is making steady improvement,” offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “Slowly, but surely, he’s coming on.”
Johnson fitting in: Wide receiver Darius Johnson played when the Falcons went to a five-receiver formation against Seattle and caught his first career touchdown pass.
“The more chances he gets, the better he seems to do,” Koetter said. “He’s still adjusting, but he’s still improving.”
Johnson, a free agent from SMU, was a star of the exhibition season. Koetter said he has strong hands and “sneaky” fast speed.
