Sports

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92 days after the Atlanta Falcons' training camp came to an end, head coach Raheem Morris gave an overdue injury update on wide receiver Darnell Mooney. 

Morris said during his weekly interview on 92.9 The Game that Mooney broke his collarbone on the first day of training camp. It’s the first time the team has acknowledged the full extent of the injury, previously described as a shoulder issue when news broke that he would miss most of training camp.

At the start of the season, Mooney was listed on the Week 1 injury report with a shoulder injury and eventually ruled out. Morris categorized him as "day-to-day." At that time, the Falcons' team site shared the following quote from Morris on Mooney's status:

"I never worry about his conditioning, but just the overall wear and tear of it all, all those type of things dealing with performance with a receiver, with a skilled athlete like that," Morris said Monday. "I don't know if anybody's ever 100% in the National Football League, so you don't want to say that, but it's always about how can he best perform? Can he help us win this football game without furthering any other issues?"

He went on to make his season debut in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. Morris revealed that before Week 2’s game, the first time quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Mooney had practiced together, stating that the first four weeks of the season "were like training camp" for Mooney. 

News of the extent of Mooney's injury comes at a time when transparency in injury reporting continues to be an emphasis for the league, particularly as sports betting markets have expanded. Just last month, the Baltimore Ravens were hit with a $100,000 fine for incorrectly reporting quarterback Lamar Jackson as a "full participant" on the practice report ahead of Week 8, despite having received those reps with the scout team.

There has been a lack of chemistry between Mooney and Penix. Mooney has 13 catches for 190 yards and no touchdowns on 35 targets. The sixth-year receiver does not have a game with more than four receptions and has had only one catch in each of the last three games. In his last game against the Colts, Mooney had one catch on eight targets and multiple drops.

This is a significant drop-off for the veteran wideout, who had one of his best years last season for the Falcons. In his first season in Atlanta, Mooney had 64 catches for 992 yards and a career high of five touchdowns.

Mooney has also been nursing a hamstring injury during the season. In October, he was limited or missed five straight practices due to his hamstring issues.

The Falcons average 211.4 passing yards a game, which ranks 16th in the league. Wide receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts have been the go-to targets for second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

London has 53 receptions for 691 yards and six touchdowns. Robinson has 43 catches for 467 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Pitts adds 45 catches for 420 yards and one touchdown.

The Falcons are slightly more efficient on the ground with 119.3 rushing yards per game, ranking 15th in the league. The rushing attack is led by Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.

The Falcons have lost four straight and are 3-6, which is third in their division. They will look to turn it around when they take on the Carolina Panthers in a division matchup.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has come out in defense of the tush push ahead of Sunday night's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The tush push, a quarterback sneak play that the Eagles have popularized and are known to use in short-yardage situations, has become a controversial one, particularly amid inconsistencies in the way it is officiated. 

There have been several instances of controversial officiating calls on the tush push this season. In Week 3, officials missed a false start on the play, only for the Eagles to score on the next play.

In Week 8, the New York Giants were outraged after Hurts fumbled on the play, and the ball was recovered by defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. The apparent turnover didn't count, however, as officials ruled that Hurts' forward progress was stopped before the fumble.

Most recently, in the Eagles' Week 10 win over the Packers, the guards moved well before the ball was snapped for a false start, which was not called by officials.

The play has also been nearly unstoppable. According to ESPN, the Eagles have converted the tush push 14 out of 18 times this season, which is a 77.8% conversion rate through eight games over the past few seasons. Since 2022, the Eagles have converted the play 92.6% in 2022, 83.3% in 2023, and 82.1% last season. At the beginning of this season, the Eagles were converting at a rate of 96.6% on 116 attempts.

Before the season, the Lions were one of 10 teams, including the Eagles, that voted against banning the tush push. Despite the imperfections of the play and its near-perfect success rate, Campbell does not want to take it out of the game.

"I’m a purist," Campbell said. "You take something out of the game, then we’re taking the next thing out of the game and pretty soon we don’t have pads anymore. Then pretty soon you’re only playing 30 minutes.”

Campbell thinks the best way to make the tush push a non-factor is to stop it.

"The team's got a niche, they found something, they are good at it, and it's for everyone else to stop," Campbell said. "It's unique and physical. More than anything, I just don't want to take anything out of the game. I just want to leave the game alone."

Campbell is a former tight end known for his blocking and has gained a reputation for aggressive playcalling on late downs. Campbell took over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton in a 44-22 road victory over Washington this past week after the Lions' offense struggled the previous week against the Vikings.

The Lions and Eagles matchup this week with playoff ramifications on the line. The Eagles lead the NFC standings at 7-2 and the Lions are close behind at 6-3. Whoever wins the game will hold a tiebreaker that could impact playoff seeding and home-field advantage.