FLOWERY BRANCH — Brent Grimes, who underwent knee surgery last week, has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. It will be the second consecutive game without the Pro Bowl cornerback.
The Falcons will again rely on Dominique Franks and Christopher Owens to fill in for Grimes. Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith leads the NFL in catches of 20 yards or more (23) and is tied for second in receiving yards (1,092).
The Falcons held seven players out of practice Wednesday. Offensive tackle Will Svitek (groin) and running back Michael Turner (groin) did not participate. Defensive back Kelvin Hayden (toe) and linebacker Stephen Nicholas (thigh) worked with trainers. Defensive end John Abraham, tight end Tony Gonzalez and center Todd McClure were rested.
Offensive lineman Sam Baker (back), wide receiver Harry Douglas (groin), defensive end Ray Edwards (shoulder), offensive guard Joe Hawley (ankle) and wide receivers Julio Jones (hamstring) and Roddy White (shoulder) were limited.
Turner’s history
Turner has a history of success against the Panthers. Since joining the Falcons in 2008, he has rushed for 707 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games.
The Falcons’ run game might also be effective Sunday, as the Panthers placed both starting defensive tackles on injured reserve Tuesday.
Rookies Sione Fua and Terrell McClain suffered the season-ending injuries against the Buccaneers. McClain sprained his left knee in the third quarter. Fua strained his right hamstring in pregame warmups.
“That’s been the story of their season,” Turner said. “They’ve been losing a lot of guys on defense. They got guys willing to step in and play. That’s something that we can’t control. The only thing we can control is playing hard.”
Turner is eight yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark. It would be his third in four seasons with the Falcons. The only season he did not reach the mark was 2009, when he was limited to 11 games.
Ryan’s overthrows
Quarterback Matt Ryan took responsibility for two missed passes early in last week’s game against the Texans. Ryan overthrew White on the first play from scrimmage. On the third play, he overthrew Jones. Both receivers were open.
“You just have to make the throws,” Ryan said. “Our guys ran great routes and did exactly what we asked them to do. I just didn’t put the ball in the right spot. We’ve got to make those plays. It’s a simple as that, especially when you are playing against a really good football team. You are going to have opportunities like that, and in those types of games and in that atmosphere, you’ve got to make those plays.”
Few screen passes
The Falcons have completed only 14 of 16 screen passes for 62 yards this season, according to ESPN Stats and Information. According to those stats, the only starting quarterbacks with fewer screen passes thrown are the Vikings’ Christian Ponder (15), the Cardinals’ Kevin Kolb (14) and the Chiefs’ Matt Cassel (14). Ponder didn’t open the season as a starter, and Kolb and Cassel have missed time because of injuries.
The Falcons have screen passes in their playbook.
“Absolutely, we work on them all the time,” Ryan said. “We have them in [the playbook]. We just haven’t gotten around to them. I think moving forward, they are in every week. It just comes down to we’ve got a lot of other good things, too. We’ll see how it shakes out.”
Walls debuts
Rookie defensive back Darrin Walls made his NFL debut last week after being inactive the first 11 games of the season. Walls played on special teams and had one tackle.
“Kickoff coverage, just to get him started, was a good showing,” special-teams coordinator Keith Armstrong said. “He stepped up. He was hungry. He wanted it and he went and proved it. He had a good week.”
Etc.
The Falcons signed defensive tackle Carlton Powell to the practice squad Tuesday. Powell (6-foot-3, 312) played in three games this season before being waived last week. ... Defensive tackle Corey Peters was named the Falcons’ Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Staff writer D. Orlando Ledbetter contributed to this article.
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