Getty Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons is tackled by Demario Davis #56,Marcus Williams #43 and Patrick Robinson #21 of the New Orleans Saints.
In Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Saints, Falcons star receiver Julio Jones headed to the blue tent early in the second quarter.
This isn’t a new injury for Jones as he been dealing with a hamstring injury for the entire season after injuring it in Week 1 and again in Week 2.
Raheem Morris told reporters after the game that the Falcons will know how serious Jones’s injury is on Monday.
“Julio, we’ll find out what’s going on more tomorrow,” Morris said. “But he was not able to come back in the game because of the hammy. He did it pretty early, and those guys went out there and battled. We’ve got to see what’s going on with Ju Jones.”
Falcons Have Worst Offense Performance
Jones’ absence was felt, per usual, as the Falcons had their worst offensive performance so far this fall. Atlanta had two season-low marks with just nine points and 248 total yards. They also converted just 2-of-14 of its third-down attempts. Ryan went 19 out of 37 passes for 232 yards with no scores and two interceptions. Todd Gurley led the ground game with eight carries for 26 yards.
With quarterback Drew Brees out and top cornerback Marshon Lattimore sidelined, Atlanta thought they had an advantage heading into this matchup.
That wasn’t the case as New Orleans’ secondary kept up with the Falcons’ offense. Calvin Ridley looked solid leading the Falcons with 90 yards on five receptions, but that wasn’t enough. The offensive line allowed eight sacks on Matt Ryan. The last time the Falcons played the Saints, the line allowed nine sacks on Ryan.
Morris gave a lot of credit to the Saint’s secondary in slowing down the pass attack
“It’s just like any other great player,” Morris said. “When they leave, at those moments, somebody has got to step up. Next-man-up mentality and we’ve got to be able to do those things quicker, faster, and more deliberately while we’re in the game so we can go in and get a win.”
Saints-Falcons Meet Again Week 13
Two weeks from now, the Falcons and Saint square off again in Week 13. Drew Brees is expected to still be sidelined with 11 fractured ribs.
Hopefully, by then, the Falcons will have Jones back. He was able to return for a little bit so maybe two weeks of resting will be enough time for him to return. Ryan knows his presence is extremely valuable.
“It’s always tough anytime he goes down, because it’s hard to replace that production,” Ryan said. “It also changes how teams defend us, but it’s not an excuse. We’ve got to find a way with the guys we have out there to be better off. That’s going to take all of the guys on our offense – 22, 23 guys deep – we’ve got to find a way to be productive.”
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Morris’s Full Post-Game Presser
You can watch Morris’s post-game press conference here:
Raheem Morris spoke to the media following the 24-9 loss to New Orleans.
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Falcons Update: Julio Jones Hamstring Injury