National Football League

Rookie LB will have MRI on injured knee

Published Oct. 11, 2010 10:09 a.m. ET

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CLEVELAND --- Falcons rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon left Sunday's game in the third quarter after suffering a left knee injury, and he didn't return.

"I just kind of got hit on the outside of it," Weatherspoon said. "It wasn't feeling as stable as I wanted."

Weatherspoon walked off the field without any help from the trainers. X-rays of his knee were taken Sunday and he will have an MRI procedure today.

"I feel pretty good right now," Weatherspoon said.

He suffered an ankle injury against New Orleans and didn't play last week against San Francisco. He returned to the starting lineup against Cleveland and had five tackles before leaving the game.

Stephen Nicholas finished out the game in Weatherspoon's strongside linebacker spot. Nicholas had four tackles and an interception in the fourth quarter.

Abraham's big day

Falcons defensive end John Abraham outplayed Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas, a three-time Pro Bowler. Abraham had five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for losses and three quarterback hits.

Abraham had the option of rushing over tackle Tony Pashos, a less-heralded player, but took the more challenging route to the backfield.

"I felt more comfortable on the right side going against Joe Thomas," Abraham said. "I just thought my game worked better because the quarterback can't see me. On Pashos' side he can see me."

Abraham moved into sixth place on the Falcons' all-time sacks list with 40.5, passing Don Smith, who totaled 38.5 in six seasons from 1979-84.

Hillis report

Defensive end Jamaal Anderson had a good scouting report on Cleveland running back Peyton Hillis, and for good reason: They played together at Arkansas.

"I played against him since the ninth grade," said Anderson, who had a sack and a quarterback hit. "He still plays the same way, jumping over guys and stuff. I've seen him do that before."

Party out of bounds

Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux raced into the end zone to help defensive end Kroy Biermann celebrate his 41-yard touchdown on an interception return, noting the rarity of the occasion.

"It's not too often a lineman gets a touchdown," Babineaux said.

Jenkins inactive

Wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who returned to practice two weeks ago, was declared inactive for the fifth straight game. He suffered a shoulder injury on Aug. 6 and he hasn't played this season.

The other inactives included: cornerback Dominique Franks, running back Gartrell Johnson, tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Sidbury and defensive tackle Trey Lewis.

John Parker Wilson was declared the emergency quarterback.

Etc.

The Falcons won time of possession 30:06 to 29:54. ... Cleveland's Josh Cribbs, one of the league's top returners, was held in check; he averaged 21.3 yards on three kickoff returns and had one punt return for three yards. ... Quarterback Matt Ryan completed passes to six different receivers. ... For the second game in a row, the Atlanta defense did not allow a play of more than 20 yards. ... The Falcons were victims of a blocked kick for the second game in a row. The Browns deflected a 30-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter. Last week, San Francisco blocked a punt.

Turner gets loose

Falcons running back Michael Turner busted loose for a 55-yard run in the second quarter, his longest of the season.

"It was just some great blocking up front," Turner said. "I saw a hole and exploded through there. The easy part was just to run."

Turner was tackled at Cleveland's 12-yard line by safety Abraham Elam.

"I was throwing guys off of me so I didn't see him until the last second, toward the end of the play," Turner said. "I was hoping that I was able to finish the run off."

Turner rushed for 140 yards on 19 carries. Overall, the Falcons rushed 31 times for 165 yards (5.3 per carry). The Falcons outrushed the Browns 165-48.