The Falcons played without their star wide receiver Julio Jones in their third straight loss to the Bears last Sunday.
However, it looks like there might be a silver lining for Atlanta after Julio was spotted at practice today, ESPN’s Vaughn McClure reported.
McClure spotted Jones on the practice field Thursday with a helmet on ready to prepare for Monday Night’s game against the Packers.
Julio (hamstring) has helmet on as if ready to do some work. Russell Gage (head injury), Foye (hamstring) also with helmets on
Jones, who is fighting a hamstring injury, did not practice at all last week and was listed as questionable before being ruled out Sunday. Quinn did add that Jones did some work on the sides with Matt Ryan and that was involved while not actually practicing.
In his last game, 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 struggling to get up from tackles and limping on the sidelines.
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Julio Fights Through Injuries
Well, thankfully hamstring injuries are not that serious to Julio considering he’s had his share of them and has rarely ever missed a game. It would take a train to stop Jones from sitting out in an important game and this upcoming one is.
It makes sense as to why Quinn decided to let Jones sit out even if it meant a loss because they would need him in Week 4.
In the last six seasons, Julio has only missed a total of 4 games. Just last season he suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter and was forced to leave the game vs. Tampa Bay. He missed only one game after that. Towards the end of the season in 2019, he had a foot injury but played through it. He did, however, miss preseason games but was ready to take on Minnesota Week 1.
The most notable injury and time that he missed was after he fractured his surgically repaired foot in Week 5 of 2013 and didn’t return until 2014. This hamstring is nothing to him and we should see him Monday night after plenty of rest.
Who Will Atlanta Rely On Now?
The Falcons will need to beat the Packers to avoid a 0-4 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 possibly out, the Falcons will have to continue to rely a lot more on their younger receivers in Brandon Powell, Russell Gage, and tight end Hayden Hurst.
Calvin Ridley has stepped up as Matty Ice’s No. 1 option which has been fun to watch. However, he’s fighting an ankle injury now. 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 Bears and Hayden Hurst is attempting to do his part too.
Gage suffered a concussion in the last game but was out on the practice field Thursday as well.
All of the pieces are slowly coming together for this team and they know they need this win.
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Falcons Star Receiver Spotted at Practice Preparing for Packers Game