Plain and simple, the Atlanta Falcons need Julio Jones and they need him now. The wide receiver was clearly missed as the team fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, the Atlanta Falcons prepare to enter a must-win game against the New Orleans Saints if they intend to get to the postseason. A loss knocks them out of the playoffs and the status of Jones could really determine the outcome of that game.
Jones was a game-time decision against the Steelers after he suffered a hip injury in his record-breaking performance against the Green Bay Packers. However, head coach Mike Smith remains very optimistic that Jones will be back on the field against New Orleans, stating he was very close to being able to play against Pittsburgh.
"Julio is about where he was yesterday. Our anticipation is we'll have him ready to go this week," Smith said, via the team's website. "It's going to be important for him to continue to improve. He improved from last week to this week, and we need to get him back out there. I know it'll be every day, what's going on with Julio. I think what we need to do, is we need to realize it's something that's going to be later on during the week, so maybe we can look at other things and talk about other before we talk about number 11."
The Falcons will need everyone healthy for the trip to New Orleans. Both Jones and Roddy White have missed time this season, but Smith likes the chances of everyone being on field in Week 16. After a game where Matt Ryan failed to connect with any of his offensive targets, having Jones, White, Harry Douglas and Devin Hester together could be the difference maker. According to White, there is no reason the Falcons should not get into the endzone.
"I knew once we got down there, we had to score touchdowns," White said via the team website. "First-and-goal from the 2-yard line - just unacceptable for us not to get in the end zone. It hurt us at the end. You just can't keep getting down there and putting yourself into bad situations, kicking field goals from the 5-yard line and in. That's not good football, especially with the players we have on our team."
The Falcons have been relying heavily on kicker Matt Bryant when they get into the redzone. The team settled for six points on Sunday when they could have had 14. That will not fly in the big division matchup against the Saints. If the Falcons lose their postseason dreams are over and rebuilding begins.