The Falcons’ victory over the Seahawks was marred a bit by defensive end John Abraham’s early departure due to a sprained ankle he originally suffered in Week 17 against the Buccaneers.
After the game, Falcons coach Mike Smith said that the decision to keep Abraham out of the game was a “precautionary” one. Abraham gave a different explanation, saying that he “couldn’t push off” the injured ankle before he came out of the game. That didn’t stop him from expressing full confidence that he would be on the field against the 49ers when the NFC Championship Game kicks off in Atlanta next Sunday.
“Oh yeah, you know me, you can’t keep me out of that game,” Abraham said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re going to treat the (heck) out of it.”
Abraham was only able to practice in a limited fashion last week and went into the game at “80 percent” of his normal ability. With the injury getting aggravated, it would seem to be a tougher road for him to navigate on the way to the NFC title game. His ability to do so will be important for the Falcons and figures to be one of the big storylines as we make our way toward Sunday.