Atlanta Falcons LT Jake Matthews misses practice; status uncertain

The Atlanta Falcons were able to withstand the loss of first round pick Jake Matthews on the left side of the offensive line on the way to a season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints, but they may be forced to continue in that direction in week two against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Wednesday, Matthews was absent from the team’s first practice, and as such, his status is very much up in the air for this Sunday and beyond.

If Matthews is forced to miss Sunday’s game, veteran Gabe Carimi is expected to get the start at left tackle, and he performed admirably in place of the rookie against the Saints. Here is what Mike Smith had to say about Carimi and Matthews, via a release from the team on Wednesday:

"“Unfortunately for us, with the injury to Jake, in the second half there (Carimi) had to play the left tackle position. I thought he did a nice job. He’ll get a lot more snaps this week at the left tackle position and he’ll be prepared to even play better, and I thought he played well last week. We protected our quarterback well.”"

Frankly, this offensive line is vastly improved from last season, but without Matthews, that statement loses a great deal of luster. Carimi could potentially be serviceable in the short term, but he certainly doesn’t possess the high-end upside of Matthews, and the rest of the line will have increased pressure if the former Texas A&M tackle is unavailable.

Stay tuned for the latest as news arrives.