John Amis/Associated PressIan Rapoport @RapSheet#Falcons RB Devonta Freeman was initially diagnosed with a foot sprain, source said, and he’ll have an MRI today to determine the extent of it. Coming off a dominating win over the rival #Saints, this will be watched closely.
Freeman was ruled out after rushing for 38 yards on 10 carries and catching three passes for 10 yards.
Freeman is coming off a season in which he made just two appearances. He injured his knee in the season opener, which cost him three games. Upon returning in Week 5, he injured his groin and wound up missing the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery in mid-October.
"It was depressing," Freeman recalled about his injury in July, per Kelsey Conway of AtlantaFalcons.com. "It was a down time for me. Because I couldn't do what I loved to do. I was battling sometimes and some moments where I didn't want to be bothered."
When healthy, Freeman has proved to be among the best running backs in the league. He earned two Pro Bowl selections in his first three seasons, thanks to a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns. He parlayed that into a five-year, $41.25 million extension in August 2017.
Not even an injury-riddled season could affect the 27-year-old's confidence, though.
"The sky is the limit," Freeman said in May, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
However, Freeman has struggled this year, rushing for 333 yards and zero touchdowns entering Sunday.
Unfortunately for him, he is once again dealing with an injury. The rest of the Falcons' depth chart includes Kenjon Barner and Brian Hill. Ito Smith was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, making Freeman's injury another blow to Atlanta's depth at running back.
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