Stephen

Nicholas

Nicholas’ absence will be felt on run defense, as practice squad-type Spencer Adkins is a significant downgrade. Nicholas’ injury may be a slight tear of a knee ligament or a severe sprain. He’s made just one appearance since Week 12.

Nicholas had just returned to the lineup after missing last week’s game with a shoulder injury. He’s questionable to return, but there’s no reason to risk it in a 41-0 laugher.

The Falcons are plenty deep at linebacker after Nicholas beat out Mike Peterson for the job in the preseason. The severity of Nicholas’ injury is unknown.

Veteran Mike Peterson will replace Nicholas, who injured his shoulder in last week’s game. Dominique Franks will fill in for Grimes, which is positive news for the Panthers’ aerial attack. Julio Jones (hamstring) and Michael Turner (groin) are active and playing without restrictions.

Holmes, a third-round rookie, missed offseason practices with fractured toes in his left foot. Nicholas hadn’t practiced since December, missing the playoff loss to the Giants.

With Nicholas’ status up in the air, it’s expected that Mike Peterson takes his spot at SLB in the base defense. It’s not safe to assume that either Peterson or MLB Akeem Dent play in the nickel packages, however. Coach Mike Smith suggested earlier in the week that the Falcons may fill his role with a hybrid defensive end. “We’ve got guys that have played his position, a number of guys that have cross trained to play the same position and the dime,” Smith said when asked about Nicholas’ spot in the subpackages.

Mike Peterson replaced Nicholas in base sets and Akeem Dent was the nickel ‘backer. Nicholas now gets the Week 7 bye to recover. Through the first five weeks, Nicholas was averaging 7.8 tackles per game.

Starting MLB Akeem Dent failed to record a single tackle. The Falcons rolled with their sub-package of two linebackers and three corners the majority of the game, leaving Stephen Nicholas and Sean Weatherspoon to rack up the stats. Nicholas piled up 12 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups. There’s plenty of IDP upside here.

The planned re-evaluation suggests Nicholas has a shot at suiting up against the Raiders. A full-time starter this season, Nicholas has 39 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception through five games.

Veteran Mike Peterson took Nicholas’ place in the starting lineup. Nicholas’ status for Week 4 is unknown. He had seven tackles and a forced fumble in the first two games.