The Atlanta Falcons, who will head into Foxborough next Sunday to take on the Patriots, got some bad news on Monday in the form of first-round draft pick Peria Jerry being out for the season.
The defensive tackle injured his leg in the fourth quarter of the Falcons' 28-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The team told The Associated Press on Monday that the left knee injury, which forced Jerry to be taken off the field on a cart, will be season ending.
The 25-year-old out of Mississippi stands at 6-foot-2, 294 pounds, and his absence could hurt the Falcons in their attempt to slow down a New England rushing attack that was effective (4.2 YPC) against the Jets on Sunday. Jerry was selected 24th in this year's NFL draft. He was the second defensive tackle selected, behind Boston College's B.J. Raji, who went ninth to Green Bay.
The Falcons' second-string running back, Jerious Norwood, also left Sunday's game after sustaining a hit to the head. Norwood, who suffered a head injury in the preseason and sat out a game, did not return to the game after leaving early. His status is unknown, though his backup, Jason Snelling, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the game that Norwood was "fine."
