Falcons Lose Star Defender Against Rams on Monday Night Football

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons have officially lost defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus to a knee injury, and the team announced that he would not return to the Week 17 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. The defender injured his knee in the third quarter, just a few plays after recording a sack of Matthew Stafford.

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

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Dorlus 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. led the team in sacks (8.5) at the time of his injury – 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.

Over 14 games, the Falcons’ defensive lineman had 26 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, and 10 quarterback hits over eight starts.

According to head coach Raheem Morris, the development of Dorlus (and several other young Falcons defenders) has led to their ability to successfully rush with just four players. This, of course, has led to their outstanding season in rushing the passer, where they are second in the NFL in sacks.

"I don't know if they're really thinking about leading the team in sacks, I think it's more about the coordination of our rush and being able to do it the right way," Morris said this week. "I'm sure deep down, you want to lead in sacks and do all those different things, but I think they've really been focused on it the right way.

The Falcons have been eliminated from postseason contention, so the most he would miss of this season would be Week 18 against the New Orleans Saints. Now, the Falcons will be left hoping for the best, as Dorlus would be a tremendous loss if the injury proves to be more severe.

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At the time of this writing, the Falcons and Rams are entering the fourth quarter, with Atlanta leading 24-17. Atlanta had been playing a tremendous game, with Bijan Robinson setting a franchise single-season record for scrimmage yards, but a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, the blown lead, and this subsequent injury have put a damper on an otherwise fantastic game for the Falcons.

Now, the wait is on to see how long the Falcons could be without their star interior defender.

This story will be updated.