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The smiles about the Falcons’ 40-24 thumping of the Chiefs are about to get a little smaller.

Falcons coach Mike Smith opened his Monday press conference by announcing that cornerback Brent Grimes is heading to injured reserve. Grimes left Sunday’s game late with what was being called a calf injury, but an MRI revealed that Grimes suffered a major injury to his Achilles. He won’t be designated for a possible return, which means that Grimes is done for the year after less than one game.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Grimes. He’s heading toward free agency after failing to reach agreement on a long-term deal with the Falcons after getting the franchise tag this offseason. Grimes will now have to prove that he’s healthy to get any deal and whatever he gets is almost certainly going to be a lot smaller than either a new long-term deal or the 20 percent pay bump he’d see if the Falcons chose to franchise him again.

It’s not ideal for Atlanta, obviously, but they do still have Dunta Robinson and Asante Samuel to plug in at corner. It’s a step down from Grimes, to be sure, but things could be worse. Based on Sunday, their offense could also be prepared to carry the defense in a few contests should that be the only way the Falcons can get themselves a win.