Julio Jones has been banged up for most of the year. With the Atlanta Falcons' offense struggling the way it has, the receiver has been trying to make something happen from nothing and his body has been the one paying the price. Jones has dealt with hamstring injuries that did not cause him to miss a game so when asked about being limited because of a knee issue, Jones simply laughed it off.
According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, Jones has been limited in practice with a knee injury that was suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which he received treatment on after the game. According to Jones, it was merely just icing the knee, something he says he does every week. So anyone concerned about the receiver missing Week 14 play can rest assure that Jones is healthy and ready to matchup against Josh Norman and the Carolina Panthers secondary. Norman made it clear he is ready for the matchup.
"I think (Jones) is a guy that gives me that ultimate, almost challenge, to where I can say that, man, every corner, every turn, he's so explosive," Norman said, via ESPN.com. "So I got to just take it a notch higher to try and combat that. And he pushes me, man. He pushes you to your wildest dreams imaginable. So, it's kind of one of those things where I love the competition. I'm excited for it. I'm ready. I'm anxious. I'm pumped."
With the Falcons' passing game on ice thanks to the struggles of Matt Ryan, the ground game needs to improve. Devonta Freeman started the year on fire and has since cooled down while rookie Tevin Coleman is struggling with fumbles. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is known for having a dominant run game, but that has not been the case in recent weeks. However, he is making it clear that he is not abandoning the run game heading into Week 14. According to ESPN, the Falcons have not scored a rushing touchdown since Week 6. Of course they have not scored much at all, so those numbers a little inflated.
"It's always a challenge. But when you play at your best, you're usually balanced. That has a lot do with the score; how the game's going and stuff. But it's always a goal of ours, no matter who you play, to try to be balanced. I've gotten away from that here in the last few games. And hopefully, we can find a way to stick to that," Shanahan said, via ESPN.com.
The Falcons will have their hands full against the Carolina Panthers in Week 14. Heading on the road, the Panthers are undefeated while the Falcons are on a five-game losing streak. In search of a win, the Falcons need to find the team that started the year 5-0 instead of playing like the one that is 0-5.
