With the top seed in the NFC locked down, the Falcons’ main goal in Week 17 is to make it to the postseason without losing any key players to injuries that would keep them out for the playoffs.
That likely means safety William Moore will remain on the bench for a fourth straight week. Moore’s been bothered by a hamstring injury for almost a month and the Falcons would like to do everything they can to ensure it won’t continue to be a problem for him come January.
“I would like for William to be ready to go but the doctors have got to make that determination,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re to a point in the process that we need to get him as healthy as can be. I would say that he’s not going to play in the game this week. That would be our take on it.”
The Falcons have said that their approach to this week’s game will be no different from their approach to the rest of the season. Given the fact that Moore has missed the last three games, keeping him out of this one fits with that approach as well as one that puts a priority on using the bye week as a way to get the team as healthy as possible as the Falcons attempt to win their first playoff game since Smith became the team’s coach.