Injured Falcons QB Ryan not ruled out vs. Seahawks
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s decadelong streak of consecutive starts is on the line due to a sprained right ankle.
Coach Dan Quinn said Ryan ran in a pool on Monday to test the ankle and has not been ruled out for Sunday’s game against Seattle.
The 34-year-old Ryan has not missed a start since 2009. His streak covers 154 regular-season games.
Asked if the injury is a high ankle sprain, Quinn said: “We’ll stay with sprain. … Hopefully it’s not a long-term thing.”
Quinn said Ryan won’t practice Wednesday but could return later in the week. He said Ryan will “try anything he can” to play.
Quinn said the Falcons will prepare to have Ryan and also be ready to have veteran backup Matt Schaub as the starter.
DOLPHINS: A Buffalo Bills fan has accused Bobby McCain of spitting on him and threatening to spit on a 13-year-old after the Bills’ 31-21 win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. A day later, Brian Flores said the Dolphins are disciplining the safety “internally.”
The incident, which The Buffalo News reported Monday, was brought up to Flores at the coach’s press conference Monday at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility and Flores said he spoke with McCain earlier in the day.
Dylan Wentland, a season ticket holder at New Era Field, said McCain first threatened to spit on a 13-year-old boy after the boy shouted, “You’re irrelevant,” at Miami players as they exited the tunnel and took the field in Orchard Park, New York. Wentland told The Buffalo News he called out McCain, then didn’t interact with the defensive back at all throughout the course of the game. After the game, Wentland said, McCain sought him out and spit on Wentland’s face.
TRADE: The Oakland Raiders traded 2017 first-round cornerback Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans on Monday for a 2020 third-round pick, marking the third former first-round pick traded away by coach Jon Gruden in the past 14 months.
BROWNS: Kareem Hunt ran back to the Browns sooner than expected.
The suspended star returned to the team and practiced Monday after serving only six games of an eight-game NFL suspension for two violent off-field altercations that threatened to end his playing career.
“We have been monitoring his progress during the suspension,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email. “He is permitted to return to team activities, including practice. He is not permitted to play in or attend games until after the team’s eighth game. The time with the team enables him to re-acclimate himself and engage in conditioning work and practices.”