Keanu Neal Out for the Season; Knee Injury Diagnosed as Torn ACL

Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal suffered a torn ACL Thursday night in the Atlanta Falcons' season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, and won't be back this season, the team announced on Friday. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news.

Neal exited the game with the injury in the first half but later returned only to re-injure himself on the first drive of the second half. Previously, the 6'0", 211-pound safety missed the first two games of his rookie season in 2016 after undergoing knee surgery during the preseason. 

He did, however, play all 16 regular-season games last year as well as both postseason contests.

Neal saw a nice increase in numbers from Year 1 to Year 2, partly due to the fact he was healthy for the entire season. He is coming off a season in which he recorded 116 combined tackles and six passes defended while nabbing his first career interception. His strong sophomore season earned him his first Pro Bowl nod.

Losing a Pro Bowler at any position can be tough to overcome, and Atlanta may have a hard time replacing Neal. Not only has the NFL turned into a passing league, but the Falcons play in the most pass-heavy division in football, with the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees and the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton routinely putting up big numbers.

That said, playing without a key member of the secondary would be rough.

Atlanta is expected to turn to Jordan Richards—who was acquired in a preseason trade with the New England Patriots—to fill in. The former second-round pick made a limited impact during his time in a Patriots uniform, recording just 49 combined tackles, three passes defended and two forced fumbles in three years.