Falcons Missing Star Defender vs. Buccaneers

The Atlanta Falcons will contend for the NFC South lead without injured starting safety Justin Simmons.

Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons won't play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Atlanta Falcons will be without a key piece to their secondary in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Falcons safety Justin Simmons, who entered the day listed as doubtful to play with a hamstring injury, is officially inactive and won't play inside Raymond James Stadium.

Simmons went through pregame warmups but evidently wasn't good enough to play. The 31-year-old has started all seven games for Atlanta this season, recording 28 tackles, three passes defended, one tackle for loss and an interception.

He initially suffered the hamstring injury in the Falcons' 38-20 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. After being limited in practice the following week, Simmons was questionable entering Atlanta's Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but he played all 60 defensive snaps.

Without Simmons, the Falcons are expected to start Richie Grant at safety alongside Jessie Bates III -- a proposition Falcons head coach/defense Jerry Gray is comfortable with.

"He is confident in what he's doing," Gray said Thursday about Grant. "I think he's a lot more speaking the way you want him to speak as far as a football player. Now he knows, I can go out there and play at this level.' We expect Richie -- when we put you out there, we expect no letdown. I think he expects that of himself."

Here's the rest of the Falcons' inactives:
- linebacker Troy Andersen
- defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus
- defensive lineman Kentavius Street
- offensive tackle Brandon Parker
- offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson
- running back Jase McClellan

Atlanta (4-3) and Tampa Bay (4-3) will kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Raymond James Stadium with first place in the NFC South on the line.