The Atlanta Falcons are trending in the right direction health-wise, but they won't have edge rusher Samson Ebukam in their Thursday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Ebukam suffered a hamstring injury against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and did not return.
The veteran edge rusher leads the team with eight QB pressures through the first two games. Since both Jalon Walker James Pearce are unavailable, it could be tough for Atlanta to generate pressure on Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Ebukam outplayed Azeez Ojulari in training camp and carved out a nice role for himself on Jeff Ulbrich's defense, playing roughly 60 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
Fortunately, the Falcons have another veteran pass rusher who's been playing
well. Za'Darius Smith has a team-high 2.5 sacks over the first two weeks. Smith might see an expanded role against his former team on Thursday night.
The 34-year-old recorded an incredible 26 sacks over a two-year stretch in Green Bay (2019-2020), but he will need to play his absolute best for the Falcons to have a chance in Week 3.
As for the Packers, they've ruled out four players - offensive tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (knee), guard Aaron Banks (toe), defensive tackle Warren Brinson (calf) and wide receiver Jayden Reed (neck) - for Thursday's prime-time showdown at Lambeau Field.
Check out the full Falcons-Packers injury report for Week 3 here. Thursday night's game starts at 8:15 p.m. ET and will air nationally on Prime Video.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons rule out key pass rusher for prime-time game vs. Packers
