NFL · Atlanta Falcons · 15:42 ET · via @marcraimondi

Falcons Rookie Kendal Daniels Carted Off in Brutal Blowout Against Bears

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ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi confirmed the immobilization and cart-off live from the stadium.

The ' afternoon against the just went from a standard-issue blowout to a genuinely scary situation. ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi confirmed that rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels was immobilized and carted off the field following a heavy collision.

There are bad losses, and then there are days that make you want to cancel the rest of the season. When the medical staff brings out the immobilization gear, the entire stadium holds its breath and the actual football game immediately feels completely irrelevant.

Before the injury, Daniels was putting together a highly respectable start to his rookie campaign. The former Oklahoma standout had already racked up 22 combined tackles and a sack through his first five professional games, proving he belonged on an NFL field.

The timing of the injury just adds a grim layer to an already miserable Sunday for the home team. was getting absolutely dismantled by , staring down a 31-7 deficit while the defense spent all afternoon looking like they were playing on ice skates.

Losing a young, active linebacker forces the Falcons to dig deeper into a depth chart that is clearly already struggling to get stops. Anyone monitoring live lines or defensive props knows that a unit bleeding this many points cannot afford to lose young legs.

The immediate focus is entirely on Daniels and hoping for a clean medical update from the hospital. Once we know he is safe, the will have to figure out how to scrape themselves off the turf and field a functional defense before next week.