Falcons rookie stretchered off after suffering scary injury as stadium falls silent
Falcons rookie stretchered off after suffering scary injury as stadium falls silent
Matthew Neschis Sun, October 18, 2026 at 8:26 PM UTC
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Kendal Daniels was stretchered off the field after suffering a scary injury -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)
A hushed silence fell over Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Falcons linebacker Kendal Daniels suffered a terrifying injury that required him to be stretchered off the field.
With just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter of Sunday’s clash between the Bears and Falcons, Chicago’s Colston Loveland hauled in a screen pass from quarterback Caleb Williams — who teased his NFL return — before rumbling 5 yards downfield. As he crossed Atlanta’s 44-yard line, Daniels came sprinting in before ramming his helmet into the star tight end’s knee.
Immediately following the hard collision, Daniels grabbed at his head and curled up into a ball on the field. Several medical trainers rushed to tend to the rookie as a handful of Falcons teammates gathered around him.
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While Daniels continued to lie on the ground for an extended period of time, the Falcons left their sideline and surrounded him.
He was eventually loaded onto a stretcher after roughly 10 minutes and carted through the tunnel, prompting a round of applause from concerned onlookers.
“Kendal Daniels being taken out there on the cart. You just saw his left hand there. We have seen his hand move a couple of times,” Play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhardt said from the FOX Sports broadcast booth.
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“He's conscious and every precaution taken to give him the best care. And I sure hope he's okay. It's so hard to watch.”
Fellow analyst Tom Brady expressed a similar sentiment, chiming in: “Absolutely. Hard for these teammates to watch their partner go out there like that. And they're going to do the best they can to represent him the rest of the game.”
In an official statement, the Falcons announced that Daniels was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital to undergo further testing, adding that he is "alert and has movement in all his extremities."
ESPN's Tom Rinaldi confirmed the report, stating on-air: "[Daniels] suffered a neck injury. Ultimately would be taken off the field, carted off. Taken to Grady Medical Center.
"He is fully conscious and has full movement in all his extremities. That's the latest we have, so obviously a very positive update."
Several Falcons players gathered around Daniels and prayed as he remained on the ground -Credit:Getty Images
Taking to social media, droves of NFL fans wished Daniels a speedy recovery. "Hope he is ok. Hard to watch," one X user wrote, with another adding: "When teammates are gathered praying, the game becomes background noise. Hoping Kendal is okay."
A third chimed in, "Bears fan, wishing Kendal the best. He's an impressive young player hoping it ends up not being as serious as it looked."
Before being forced out of Sunday's game, Daniels amassed a team-high seven tackles against the Bears. Entering play, the Oklahoma product recorded 22 total tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection across five contests.
Source: “AOL Sports”
