Falcons defensive end Takkarist McKinley suffered a groin injury late in the 31-24 victory over the Panthers on Sunday, according to head coach Dan Quinn on Monday.
Quinn said that he’d update McKinley, defensive end Derrick Shelby (groin) and left guard Andy Levitre (left elbow when he releases the Wednesday injury report, per league rules.
“Yeah, we had a couple guys that got banged up,” Quinn said. “Some are still getting treatment and second opinions. I’ll fill you in on those guys who didn’t finish the game… the three that got injured and we’ll have a better report for you on (Wednesday) ... when I have more information.”
The Falcons’ pass rush has been slow out of the gate this season and it will suffer if McKinley misses significant time.
McKinley, who’s been battling shoulder injuries since his college days, has two sacks this season.
McKinley played 36 of 67 snaps (54 percent) against the Panthers. He was not in the game at the end when the Falcons needed a sack to get off the field.
Shelby played six snaps before he was injured.
Vic Beasley, who was used as a spy against Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, was not rushing as often against the Panthers. Beasley played 53 snaps.
“We generally play three or four guys there,” Quinn said. “You’ve seen it in our nickel package. You’ve seen Vic, Takk and Brooks (Reed) and Derrick back those two guys up in the nickel package. It’s always an area of emphasis for me and one that we are constantly trying to improve upon.”
On 45 dropbacks, Newton was sacked just twice. Brian Poole had the other sack off a blitz. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett had three quarterback hits, but felt he missed a couple of sacks.
“Our aim is that we keep getting better as we go,” Quinn said of the pass rush. “We are going in to Week 3 and we’re going to be better than we were in Week 1 and 2. Keep digging and keep pushing on that. I think that’s been our history to show how we are going to keep digging to find those (areas) for improvement.”
If Shelby and McKinley are out for a period of time, defensive end Steven Means, who was inactive, is also on the 53-man roster.
“If we have to go to with Steven Means in there, he would certainly be somebody that we would count on in that role as a defensive end,” Quinn said. “He was certainly somebody that we looked at through the (exhibition) season.”
Means, 27, is 6-foot-3 and 263 pounds. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the fifth-round of the 2013 draft after playing at Buffalo. He’s also been with the Ravens, Texans and Eagles.
Beasley, who led the league in sacks in 2016 with 15.5, doesn’t have a sack yet this season.
“There are certain games where you have some spy opportunities against some quarterbacks like Cam, who can move,” Quinn said. “At times, we’ll do that when we have to. You’ve probably seen it before with Cam. We’ve done it against Russ (Wilson) out in Seattle. It’s not an all-the-time thing, but in certain coverages you like to do that.”
Beasley, although the Falcons have moved him back to defensive end, he dropped in coverage at times against the Eagles and spied Newton, which are traditional linebacker duties.
“There are definitely areas to improve for Vic,” Quinn said. “I like his speed. I like his get off. We just have to keep attacking for it. I think as it goes, he’ll keep improving.”
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