Redskins injury report for Week 9 versus the Atlanta Falcons

The Redskins will face off against an injury-riddled Falcons team, but the burgundy and gold aren’t completely healthy themselves.

After starting the season 5-2, the Washington Redskins need to keep the foot on the gas pedal. With a finish of 5-4, they can notch double-digit wins for the first time since 2012, and with opponents like Tampa Bay, Tennessee, New York, Jacksonville, and Dallas, a finish such as that is more than possible.

The Atlanta Falcons are another team that qualifies as beatable for Washington. While the Falcons entered the season with high hopes, those hopes have been nearly dashed by injuries to multiple star players; the victims include Devonta Freeman, Andy Levitre, and Brandon Fusco on offense, while also featuring Deion Jones, Keanu Neal, and Ricardo Allen on defense.

That’s a total of six starters gone for the Falcons, and the impact of those injuries has been noticeable, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Matt Ryan has had a consistent heavy workload over the past few weeks. In four of the Falcons’ past five games, their defense has allowed 29 points or more. In two of those games, their opponent scored more than 40.

If there was ever a chance for the Redskins’ passing offense to find solid footing, this game is it. Unfortunately for the unit, which has regularly been the pride of Jay Gruden throughout his tenure in D.C., they’ll be missing a few key playmakers. Today, we were provided with an early look at the Redskins injury situation, and while there are some glints of hope, there are some particularly notable inclusions as well. The following information was gathered from J.P. Finlay’s Twitter feed.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Redskins could be without Chris Thompson, Jamison Crowder, and Trent Williams on Sunday. Crowder has already been ruled out, and Thompson is also a likely exclusion from the game day roster, as Gruden stated that they intend to “give him time” with a painful rib injury.

Williams’ status is less certain. He injured his thumb last week, and he’s set to a see a specialist to determine the severity of the injury. Gruden said today that an update will be provided when one is acquired from the specialist, and that team officials are “anxiously awaiting the word“. If Williams can’t go, Ty Nsekhe will start in his place. Per Pro Football Focus, on 27 pass blocking snaps this season, Nsekhe has yet to allow a pressure. Even at 33 years old, Nsekhe would be a more than suitable contingency plan, should Williams be unable to play.

It’s not all bad news, though. Quinton Dunbar was a full participant in today’s practice, and his return will be particularly impactful for a defense going up against a receiver trio that includes Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Mohamed Sanu. Montae Nicholson should also help in this regard; Nicholson was revealed to have suffered a minor injury to the upper body, one that he got looked at today. Things seemed to check out, per D.C. sports reporter Craig Hoffmanand Nicholson should join Washington’s defensive backfield against Atlanta as a valuable rotational piece, along with D.J. Swearinger and newly-acquired Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

On the defensive side of the ball, Washington should be well-staffed on Sunday, but on offense, they’re expected to be a bit shorthanded. So far this season, they’ve had little trouble winning games with a shorthanded offense, but against the Falcons, who can dump mass allotments of points with Matt Ryan and Co., it might not be so easy. Nevertheless, the Falcons are hurting just as much, if not more than, the Redskins, and the factors are culminating to climax in a close, hotly-contested battle in Week 9.