The Atlanta Falcons are looking to bounce back from an embarrassing thrashing by the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. After being held scoreless, the Falcons’ offense is looking to prove last week was a fluke. They have a favorable matchup against a tough conference opponent as they try to take advantage of a Washington Commanders team that is missing their star quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
The Falcons have played well against Washington, but suffered a big loss to their receiving core with Darnell Mooney suffering a hamstring injury.
What Happened to Darnell Mooney?
Mooney is questionable to return to Atlanta’s Week 4 contest against the Commanders with a hamstring problem.
He has been banged up in 2025, missing their Week 1 game with a shoulder injury, but has fought back to play. Another Mooney injury is not what Atlanta was looking for, but it is now their reality.
Status alert: Darnell Mooney (hamstring) questionable to return Sunday.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 28, 2025
Mooney wasn’t very impactful in his Week 4 action with only one catch for 15 yards. Falcons fans will be waiting to see if he returns to the game. But it hasn’t derailed their offense too much.
The Falcons clearly made it a priority to get to the ball. Their best wide receiver, Drake London, had a huge first half, which naturally led to a quiet one for Darnell Mooney. Making matters worse, Mooney is now dealing with this hamstring issue.
If Mooney has to miss time, there is no WR2 to replace him. It would just mean more of everyone else. The most likely beneficiary would be Kyle Pitts, who moves up from the apparent No. 4 target (behind London, Bijan Robinson, and Mooney) to the No. 3.
Mooney had a resurgence in 2024 after some tough years at the end of his time in Chicago. Mooney had 64 catches, 992 receiving yards, and five touchdowns last season as a big-play threat. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception, which was his career-high by over two yards.
The Falcons started strong against the Commanders taking a seven point lead into halftime. They need to take this game as they have their eyes set on making ground up in the NFC South. The Buccaneers are already two games ahead in the division and they can’t afford to let the division get away from them this early on in the season.
The Buccaneers are potentially looking at their first loss of the season against the Eagles after a slow start, so holding on would be crucial to keeping pace in the divisional race. Outside of that, they will certainly be hoping to have Mooney back, if not for today’s game, but for the near future and beyond.
