Falcons rookie LB Kendal Daniels carted off with neck injury, ruled out vs. Bears

Falcons rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels was carted off the field with a neck injury during Sunday's game against the Bears in Chicago and has been ruled out for the afternoon.

Daniels was hurt while making a tackle on Bears tight end Colston Loveland, when his facemask collided with Loveland's knee. He stayed down for several minutes as teammates knelt nearby and medical personnel immobilized his neck; his jersey was cut off and he was placed on a stretcher before being taken away on a cart. The Falcons quickly announced he was out with a neck injury.

Daniels, a 23-year-old fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma this year, appeared to be conscious and moving a hand as he was loaded onto the cart. The injury thins an already-depleted Atlanta linebacker corps: Daniels had taken over the green-dot helmet and defensive play-calling duties after Divine Deablo left the game with an arm injury, meaning the Falcons lost both of their primary defensive signal-callers on the same afternoon.

The Falcons will be hoping for the best for the Oklahoma native, who transferred from Oklahoma State to Oklahoma before entering the draft and had been playing a significant role in Atlanta's defense as a rookie.