Getty Kyle Fuller #23 of the Chicago Bears breaks up a pass intended for Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons will face the Chicago Bears at 1 PM today without their star wide receiver Julio Jones.
Jones is among the seven other players listed as inactive which also includes five starters; safety Ricardo Allen, linebacker Foye Oluokun, right tackle Kaleb McGary, and defensive end Takk McKinley.
Here is the full list of inactive players for Atlanta today:
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Jones, who is fighting a hamstring injury, did not practice all week and is was already listed as questionable. Quinn did add that Jones would do some work on the side Friday and that he’s been involved.
Jones had two catches for 24 yards against the Cowboys and said the hamstring affected him while running. If you watched the game, you could tell Jones was struggle to get up from tackles and limping on the sidelines.
Who Will Atlanta Rely On Now?
The Falcons will need to beat the Bears to avoid a 0-3 start to the season and for Dan Quinn to keep his job. This could be a tough matchup without some of their talented players.
With Jones out against the Bears, the Falcons will have to rely a lot more on receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage, and tight end Hayden Hurst.
Calvin Ridley will step up as Matty Ice’s No. 1 option which isn’t any concern. Ridley has been averaging over 100 yards each game on his way to 1,000. Russell Gage helped a lot in the loss to the Cowboys and Hayden Hurst made up for Week 1. Fantasy Football players should be sure to start Hurst because he’ll be getting the balls in his hands a lot today.
Next in line for a target would be Christian Blake who filled in the last time Julio missed some playing time.
Atlanta’s Secondary in Trouble?
Quinn has already ruled out safety Ricardo Allen (hyperextended elbow) and cornerback Kendall Sheffield (foot).
Allen went in for a tackle on Ezekiel Elliot near the end zone. It is wasn’t clear where the injury came from, but Allen came up holding his arm after Elliot knocked out the defensive back. Allen immediately left the game with trainers.
The Falcons are also without their starting right tackle Kaleb McGary, who suffered an MCL injury last week. The good thing is that non of these injuries are long-term.
Atlanta’s Week to Win
Atlanta is coming off one of the most embarrassing losses in league history, so it’s their time to win. The players and Quinn can’t afford to lose this one.
The Falcons’ offense and defense looked promising early in the first quarter with the help of Dallas’ fumbles. It looked like Atlanta would be on a roll for an easy win and then it got sloppy. Still, we saw a quick glimpse of what kind of potential Atlanta has.
The Bears (0-2) are a weak link and barely escaped with a 17-13 win over the New York Giants on Sunday after a 17-0 first-half lead. Atlanta has the better offense even without (knock on wood) Julio Jones.
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