Raheem Morris Highlights Falcons' ‘Next Man Up’ as Injuries Hit Offensive Line

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for a transatlantic in Week 10 for a matchup with the 7-2 Indianapolis Colts, but they may be without one (or both) of their guards.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said he considered left guard Matthew Bergeron to be “week-to-week,” while All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom is “day-to-day.” Neither practiced on Wednesday, according to the injury report.

If history has taught us anything, whenever Morris refers to a player as “week-to-week,” it means that he will be unavailable the next Sunday. So naturally, Bergeron should not be expected to play. In his place, Kyle Hinton will likely be the next man up on a beleaguered Falcons offensive line.

“Yeah, if Bergeron can't go, [Kyle] Hinton's always been the next man up,” Morris said Wednesday. “He's been that next man up mentality for us for a while. He started and played in a couple of games for us here, and within the same system, been around for a while. It's the reason you sign those kinds of guys, because you've got so much trust and belief in those guys to go out there and get it done when you need to get it done. So, you know, more than likely it'll be Hinton.”

Hinton, 27, has been with the Falcons since 2023, but this will be just his second start for the team in that time. Since coming into the league in 2022, the offensive lineman has played in 43 games, but most of his contributions have come on special teams.

The injuries come at a tough time for an offensive line already tasked with protecting rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. against one of the NFL’s top defensive fronts in Week 9.

“I thought he did a good job once he settled into the game the other day,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “So, he's obviously a big body in there. You feel the stoutness that he has in pass protection. You feel him in the run game as well. So, we've got a ton of confidence in Kyle.

“He's been a guy who's been growing up through the system. Coach ‘Led’ knows him as good as anybody. When Kyle's in there, it's like, ‘Hey, don't have to change a thing.’ So, his experience and the way that he's played when he's in there, he's shown us he can do it.”

Hinton was thrust into a role very early against the Patriots last Sunday, and overall, he was pleased with the way he performed when called upon.

“Pretty good overall,” Hinton said about his performance. “I mean, it's weird, you know, you don't get a lot of the reps with the ones in practice and stuff like that. You know how it goes, being a backup and stuff, but then just being forced out there, and pretty early in the game. So overall, it was pretty good.”

The guard acknowledged there were a handful of what he called “miscues,” but a week of preparation with the first-team offense should help clear some of that up heading into Sunday’s game.

“I’m excited to get out there this week and show more of what I can do,” he said.

Hinton, who actually spent two years in Germany while he was in high school, is treating this like a business trip.

“It's nice to go back [to Germany],” Hinton said. “I haven’t been there in like 10 years, and I’ve got some old coaches that are coming out, some old friends, and it will be good to see them. But my mentality is like, I'm going over there to do a job.”

For Hinton, the trip to Germany doubles as a personal homecoming and a professional proving ground, and a chance to stabilize a line that’s suddenly in flux.