Coach Arthur Smith said the Falcons will wait until Saturday to make a decision on Patterson (knee) returning for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.
Patterson returned to practice Wednesday and was designated to return from injured reserve. He's apparently avoided setbacks with the knee issue that required a minor procedure in early October, but the Falcons aren't yet ready to commit (as of Friday) to placing him back on the active roster. If that does end up happening, Patterson will take aim at a struggling Chargers defense that's given up a league-worst 5.7 yards per carry this season.