Falcons LB Mykal Walker Suffers Injury vs. Buccaneers; Will He Return?
The Atlanta Falcons are trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 20 points halfway through the third quarter, and their fight back just became more difficult.
Starting inside linebacker Mykal Walker, who has the "green dot" on his helmet that signifies he's the communicator, sustained a groin injury and is questionable to return.
Walker, 25, was Atlanta's leading tackler at the time of his injury, racking up 11 stops, seven solo.
Walker has been replaced at inside linebacker by rookie second-round pick Troy Andersen.
A third-year pro out of Fresno State, Walker is Atlanta's second-leading tackler with 33, trailing only linebacker Rashaan Evans (35). Walker has also recorded two tackles for loss, one sack and an interception.
Without Walker, Evans will take over as the defense's lead communicator, something defensive coordinator Dean Pees said was a situation the Falcons prepared for.
"All those guys have the ability to do it," said Pees. "You can only have one on the field at a time, but if Mykal wasn't in there, Rashaan can do it. They all have the ability to do it, you've just got to change their helmets (and) designate who it's going to be (amongst three people) before the game starts."
Down three possessions with little offensive production to date, there have been few positives for the Falcons on Sunday afternoon in Raymond James Stadium. Walker's injury, with long-term severity pending, only compounds the troublesome day.
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