Calvin Ridley will miss the Falcons' Week 8 game against the Panthers due a personal matter. This marks Ridley's second absence of the season, as the veteran wideout did not travel with the team to London for Atlanta's Week 5 game against the Jets for a personal matter.
A 1,300-yard receiver in 2020, Ridley has caught 31 of 52 targets for 281 yards and two touchdowns through five games this season. With Ridley out, the Falcons' passing attack will lean more on rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, Cordarrelle Patterson and tight end Hayden Hurst. Pitts is coming off of two big games that includes his 163-yard performance in last week's win over the Dolphins. Pitts leads Atlanta with 471 receiving yards thus far.
The Falcons are enjoying another solid season from quarterback Matt Ryan, who completed 68 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions during the team's first six games. A win over the Panthers on Sunday would put the Falcons above .500 for the first time this season. The Panthers, after a 3-0 start, have lost four consecutive games to fall into last place in the NFC South division standings.
The Falcons and Panthers are looking up at the Buccaneers (6-1) and Saints (4-2) in the division standings.
