Falcons 'Dodged a Bullet' With Critical Defensive Player

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons are wrapping up their 2025 regular season on Sunday, and they picked up two big pieces of injury news during Raheem Morris’ weekly press conference on Wednesday.

Dorlus, who picked up a leg injury that was initially thought to be a knee injury but was confirmed to be a hamstring injury on Wednesday, was the first big update from Morris.

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“We dodged a big-time bullet,” Morris said. “We feel pretty good about the injury. [He’s] going to miss a couple of weeks, so obviously he'll miss this game [in Week 18], but we do feel fairly good about what happened, as opposed to what everybody thought.”

The defender appeared to be in a lot of pain and was seen struggling to get off the field after his injury on Monday against the Los Angeles Rams. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg and was later carted off the field.

Dorlus’ injury came just a few plays after he sacked Matthew Stafford, pushing his season total to 8.5 sacks. Over his 15 games this season, the Falcons’ defensive lineman had 26 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, and 11 quarterback hits over nine starts.

The second-year defender had been enjoying one of the best seasons of any young defensive lineman in the NFL in 2025. He and rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr. are tied for the team lead. According to the Falcons’ Tori McElhaney, that marks the first time since 2004 that a pair of players recorded 8.5 or more sacks in a single season.

Along the second level, the Falcons have now been without Mike Hughes since the first quarter against Tampa Bay in Week 15. Morris confirmed that his season will be over on Wednesday due to his ankle injury.

“I don't think he will be able to go this week,” Morris said about Hughes. “He was hopeful that he would be able to.”

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Hughes will end his season with 51 tackles, two tackles for loss, seven passes defended, and an interception over 12 games. In coverage, he was targeted 71 times, but he allowed 40 catches for 524 yards, four touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 92.7.

The Falcons are set to kick off with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.