Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons announced Friday that they shut down their team facility after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19:

Additionally, the team noted it is in the NFL's intensive protocol and has begun contact tracing. Any planned meetings for Friday will be held virtually.

The 2-6 Falcons are scheduled to host the 3-4 Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.

This season, the Falcons have placed multiple players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell and rookie defensive tackle Marlon Davidson.

Despite that, all of Atlanta's games have been played on time. That hasn't been the case for all teams, as the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos did not occur as planned because of positive COVID-19 tests.

The Falcons began the season 0-5, which led to the firing of head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Atlanta has played much better since Raheem Morris took over as interim head coach, though, going 2-1.

If the turnaround continues, it could be somewhat reminiscent of last season, when the Falcons started 1-7 only to go 6-2 down the stretch for a 7-9 finish.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have won three of their past four games after an 0-3 start this season, including Week 8's come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Denver trailed by as much as 21 points in that game, but quarterback Drew Lock threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner to K.J. Hamler as time expired.

Provided Sunday's game happens as scheduled, it will be huge for both teams in terms of remaining in the playoff hunt in their respective conferences.

After Atlanta Falcons defensive end Takk McKinley claimed via Twitter that the team declined multiple trade offers for him over the past two seasons, Jason Butt of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the team has fined him. 

On Wednesday, McKinley said the team refused a second-round pick in exchange for the 2017 first-rounder in 2019 and turned down fifth- and sixth-round selections this season. According to Butt, "No proposals of that nature took place." 

McKinley, who has been battling a groin injury throughout the season, will not be available for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, according to Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris. Morris did not rule out a departure from the team for the fourth-year UCLA product (h/t Butt): 

"The wrong way to go about is definitely the way Takk is handling it now with a pout. So, as soon as we get an opportunity to talk to him about those things, and how he's handling that situation, that will be the first and foremost thing you handle first. Then you figure out getting him healthy as far as his groin and then you figure out if he's even going to be on the team, if that's even possible at this point."

In the four games McKinley has appeared in since the Falcons declined his fifth-year option this offseason, he has added just one sack, eight tackles and seven quarterback hits. According to Butt, the team looked to move him before Tuesday's trade deadline, but there were no acceptable offers for the Falcons.

While McKinley is sitting out of practice due to the injury, Morris raised the possibility of a suspension. 

"There's always an option to suspend and there's always an option just not to play," Morris said. "There's always an option for us to do everything we do."

Takkarist McKinley will apparently be disciplined for airing his grievances with the Atlanta Falcons on social media Wednesday.

The linebacker discussed the team's trade offers after the team decided not to move him before Tuesday's deadline:

"Takk will definitely be held accountable for his actions and everything that goes with it," Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris said, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.

"That's with him missing today and all of the things he's missed in the past. You definitely have to go through all the issues and go through all the stuff you have to deal with. You have to deal with it as an organization. You have to hit him right in the face."

McKinley was a first-round pick in 2017 and made a significant impact in his first two years with 13 combined sacks.

He has seen his production drop in recent seasons, however, tallying just 3.5 sacks and 29 tackles in 14 games in 2019. He has appeared in just four games in 2020 and has seen limited action even while starting each game.

The 25-year-old has appeared in just 42 defensive snaps since Week 1, per Pro Football Reference.

Atlanta also declined his fifth-year option for 2021 worth $10.3 million, making McKinley a free agent after this season.

Fourth-year defensive end Takk McKinley criticized the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday for not trading him over the past two seasons.

McKinley tweeted that the Falcons turned down a second-round pick for him last year and a fifth- and sixth-round pick for him this year:

The 25-year-old McKinley went 26th overall to Atlanta in the 2017 NFL draft after a standout collegiate career at UCLA. McKinley's first two NFL seasons were productive, but he dropped off significantly after that.

McKinley registered six sacks as a rookie and followed that up with a career-high seven sacks in 2018. Over the past two seasons combined, McKinley has just 4.5 sacks, giving him 17.5 in four NFL campaigns.

The 6'2", 265-pound pass-rusher said he requested a trade last season in the midst of a 3.5-sack performance and did so again this season after the Falcons declined the fifth-year option in his contract for 2021.

McKinley has appeared in and started four games this season and has just one sack to his credit, which speaks to how far he has fallen out of favor.

Since playing 69 percent of the defensive snaps and recording a sack in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, McKinley has recorded no additional sacks and has not played more than 37 percent of the defensive snaps in a game.

If the Falcons truly had a chance to trade McKinley for a second-round pick last year, it was a huge missed opportunity for former general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who was fired this season after an 0-5 start.

McKinley has not come close to living up to his first-round pick billing over the past two years especially, so recouping a second-rounder would have been huge for Atlanta.

Even getting a fifth- or sixth-rounder this year would have been considered a win since the Falcons are not contenders and seem highly unlikely to re-sign McKinley when he becomes a free agent this offseason.

If there was any level of interest in McKinley at all prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, it is difficult to comprehend why the Falcons didn't leap at the opportunity to move him.  

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Takkarist McKinley will stay put as the NFL trade deadline nears.

A first-round pick by the Falcons in 2017, McKinley put trade rumors to bed in a tweet on Monday night, writing that the team "declined a handful of offers" leading up to Tuesday's deadline: 

McKinley was expected to have extra motivation heading into this season, his fourth in the league, as the team declined his fifth-year option back in April. 

After appearing in all 16 games as a rookie, where he recovered a fumble while tacking on six sacks, 20 combined tackles and 10 quarterback hits, the UCLA product followed up with a strong sophomore campaign in 2018 that saw him produce seven sacks through 15 games.

But his production dipped last year, with just 3.5 sacks in 14 outings as he tallied 13 quarterback hits while battling a shoulder injury, and his 2020 season has been quieter. Through four games with the Falcons, McKinley has added just one sack, eight tackles and seven quarterback hits as he continues to struggle with a groin injury.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported last week that the 2-6 Falcons were shopping McKinley and the expectation was that he would be on the move before Tuesday, though there was no impending deal at the time. 

The Atlanta Falcons reportedly have interest in interviewing Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for their head coaching vacancy following the 2020 season.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Hackett is a favorite of Falcons team president Rich McKay. Hackett was brought into the NFL as a quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Jon Gruden in 2006, and McKay was part of the Bucs front office that acquired Gruden from the Oakland Raiders.

The Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn this season after an 0-5 start. Since then, Atlanta is 2-1 under interim head coach Raheem Morris.

Hackett has been Green Bay's offensive coordinator since last season, as he was poached from the Jacksonville Jaguars by head coach Matt LaFleur. While LaFleur is the play-caller in Green Bay, Hackett has had a role in one of the NFL's best offenses.

While the Packers were only in the middle of the road offensively last season, they made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. This season, Green Bay is second in the NFL in scoring with 32.8 points per game and eighth in total yardage with 393.7 per contest.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems reinvigorated this season after an up-and-down 2019, and he is putting up MVP-caliber numbers with 1,657 yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Perhaps the Falcons hope Hackett can work some similar magic with their veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. The 2016 NFL MVP leads the NFL in passing yards with 2,462 yards this season, although some of that is due to Atlanta's struggles on defense and in terms of running the football.

Hackett has been an offensive coordinator with three different teams during his NFL career. He started with the Buffalo Bills from 2013-14 then went to the Jags from 2016-18 before serving in that role for the Packers for the past two seasons.

While the 40-year-old son of former USC head coach and NFL offensive coordinator Paul Hackett didn't enjoy a ton of success in Buffalo or Jacksonville, he seems to have hit his stride in Green Bay.

Per La Canfora, Atlanta's interest in Hackett is still in its "preliminary stages," but his name has been mentioned "several times" in internal discussions regarding head coaching candidates.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is reportedly considered a candidate as well.

Bieniemy is in a similar position as Hackett in that he has been the Chiefs' OC since 2018, but head coach Andy Reid calls the plays.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season with Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and quarterback Patrick Mahomes was NFL MVP two years ago.

Given Bieniemy's success in Kansas City, he figures to be one of the hottest head-coaching candidates in the NFL during the offseason.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in Atlanta's 25-17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, and he openly wondered after the game if his teammates were teasing him during the celebration.

According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ryan said: "I can't tell if they're laughing at me or just having a good time and excited for it, but they're always good when we get them and I think guys get fired up by it showing that there's different ways to get the job done."

Matty Ice isn't known for being fleet of foot, but with the Falcons trailing 14-6 in the second quarter, the Panthers left him a ton of running room on the right side and he took advantage with a 13-yard scoring scamper:

That set off a huge celebration among the Falcons players due in part to the fact that the score brought Atlanta within one point of the Panthers, but also likely because of the rarity of Ryan taking off and scoring with his legs.

Even with the 13 yards he gained on the carry, Ryan has only 58 yards on 19 attempts for the entire season for a per-carry average of just over three yards.

Ryan, 35, is in 13th NFL season, but the four-time Pro Bowler and one-time NFL MVP has only 10 career rushing touchdowns to his credit. In fact, Ryan didn't record a single rushing score in five straight seasons from 2013 to 2017.

While most of the quarterbacks who reach the NFL now are capable of beating opposing defenses with their arm and their legs, Ryan is a more a product of an era that favored classic dropback passers.

Ryan didn't have one of his best passing games Thursday, with 281 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, but he put the Falcons in scoring position throughout the game and ensured the offense remained efficient—Atlanta punted only one time.

With the much-needed win, the Falcons are now 2-6 on the season. They remain last in the NFC South by one game behind the Panthers, but perhaps Atlanta can finally start to build some momentum in what was beginning to look like a lost season.

Considering that Atlanta went 6-2 down the stretch last season after starting 1-7, there may still be hope for the Falcons to salvage 2020.

Once an Atlanta Falcon, always an Atlanta Falcon.

That is apparently what wide receiver Julio Jones would like to say following his career. After Thursday's 25-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers, he told NFL Network he would like to retire with the only NFL team he has known (around the four-minute mark). 

"I do want to finish my career with Atlanta, but, like I said, at the end of the day those things are out of your hands," the 31-year-old said while also explaining he still believes he is the best wide receiver in the league.

Jones was brilliant in the win and finished with seven catches for 137 yards while torching Carolina's zone. He was even more important after Calvin Ridley exited with an ankle injury.

The receiver's comments come with Tuesday's trade deadline hovering over a 2-6 team that likely isn't going to make a late playoff push. Moving him to a contender could help the Falcons land a number of important assets to facilitate any rebuild, but he is also still a key playmaker who is under contract through 2023.

Falcons writer Kelsey Conway explained there have been "several reports that questioned if the Falcons would be looking to shop some of their top players," although Jones was adamant even leading up to the Carolina game that he wanted to stay put.

"No," he said of any desire to be traded. "I play football. I know who I am, I know what I got going on. I know what I mean to this team."

Atlanta selected Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and he has established himself as a franchise icon already with seven Pro Bowl appearances, two All-Pro selections and seven seasons with more than 1,100 receiving yards.

He led the league in receiving yards twice and helped lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl during the 2016 campaign.

While they fell short in that one, it sounds like the Alabama product would like another chance at a Lombardi Trophy in an Atlanta uniform.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was ruled out of the team's Thursday night game against the Carolina Panthers in the second quarter, limping off the field after he set up a 13-yard touchdown run for his quarterback Matt Ryan. 

What he was doing leading up to the injury is a perfect statement of the role that the third-year receiver plays for a dreary 1-6 Falcons team. Heading into Thursday, he had posted 615 yards (third in the league) on 40-of-64 receiving with six touchdowns (tied for third in the league) to lead the Falcons while serving as the ultimate playmaker in creating 32 first-down opportunities. Before he exited, he had three receptions for 42 yards.

Ridley emerged as the team's top receiver this season after trailing Julio Jones in 2019, but Jones is still a productive member of this Falcons team, having posted 447 yards on 31-of-39 targets with two scores through five games. As the veteran slots into Ridley's spot as the team's WR1, it paves the way for Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus to get another chance to prove themselves.

When Jones missed two games earlier this season, Gage, a sixth-round pick in 2018, slotted in alongside Ridley in Week 3, while Zaccheaus got the start in Week 5. Neither had their best moments in the spotlight, as Gage saw three targets and used his two receptions to produce 26 yards, and Zaccheaus had just one catch for 13 yards. Zaccheaus, who signed as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia in 2019, hasn't had a catch since his Week 5 start, but Gage has added 157 yards in four games since his last start, with 119 in the last two.

Tight end Hayden Hurst, who has worked his way back into the starting lineup as of late, with 10-of-11 receiving and 125 yards through the Falcons' last two outings, should also be expected to see more looks from Ryan if Ridley's injury is serious.

Depending on how long Ridley is out, the most viable option for fantasy managers comes by way of Jones, but he's highly unlikely to be available in most leagues. Zaccheaus should be avoided, but Gage and Hurst are worthy of a pickup, even if they just take up a bench spot until the seriousness of Ridley's injury is determined. If he's out for a while, expect Gage to slot in as a high-end WR3 alongside Jones, while Hurst is a low-end TE2 who could see increased opportunity. 

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley suffered an ankle injury during the first half of Thursday's game against the Carolina Panthers and was ruled out.

Ridley has lived up to his first-round billing since the Falcons selected him with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He recorded 127 receptions for 1,687 yards and 17 touchdowns in 29 appearances across his first two professional seasons.

He's entered play with 40 catches for 615 yards and six scores so far in 2020.

The 25-year-old University of Alabama product missed the final three games of last season because of an abdominal injury. Those matches marked the first absences of his NFL career.

Russell Gage should see the biggest uptick in targets behind No. 1 receiver Julio Jones should Ridley be forced back to the sideline. It'll also create more playing time for Olamide Zaccheaus, Brandon Powell and Christian Blake as part of the team's high-powered passing attack.

Ridley's skill set would make him the top wideout on several teams, and while playing alongside Jones limits his statistical upside, his talent is obvious. Any type of long-term injury would be a major setback for the Atlanta offense.