The Atlanta Falcons have been without the services of running back Devonta Freeman for the last couple of weeks due to a knee injury that he suffered late in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

It appears that the Falcons will once again be without Freeman for the Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals due to the injury, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Although Freeman is missing his third consecutive game, he has made some notable progress this week from the knee injury as he was able to practice on a limited basis on Thursday while he was seen on Friday going through run drills. This may be more of the Falcons taking the precautionary approaching wanting to see more out of him before giving him the medical clearance to ge back into the fold. The team also likely doesn't want him to be put back into the fold sooner than he may physically be able to at this point in time.

Freeman hasn’t played since this year since Week 1 where he recorded 36 rushing yards on six attempts along with 14 receiving yards on three receptions. In his spot in the lineup, Falcons have depended heavily on backup Tevin Coleman. Over the last two games, Coleman rushed for 140 yards to go along with six catches for 42 receiving yards and a touchdown. This includes a 100-yard rushing performance against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Coleman has proven to be a highly stable option that can effectively fill much of the gap that is lost with Freeman out.

The 26-year-old has shown when healthy that he can be a game-changing factor in both the running and passing game as one of the Falcons' key offensive cogs. For the time being, keeping Freeman off the field this week will give him more additional time to get back to full strength from the injury.