Julio Jones Is OUT Against the Panthers

If Atlanta can get the win on Sunday, there's a promising schedule ahead

Author:
Daniel Comer
Publish date:
Oct 11, 2020 12:02 PM EDT

To say no one expected the Atlanta Falcons to begin the season 0-4 is a bit of an exaggeration, especially to fans who swore off the team after two consecutive seasons of losing football under head coach Dan Quinn.

That said, it is more than a little befuddling to watch the Falcons lose in the manner in which they have, as the team has squandered two games (against the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears) that should undoubtedly be sitting in the “win” column heading into Week 5.

In Atlanta's other two losses, they were blown out by the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, which doesn't bode well for the Falcons should they turn the season around and make the playoffs.

While this is a winless team on paper, they profile more as a 2-2 ball club, and could easily be right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. Instead, they are on the outside looking in, although the schedule is promising, starting with a rebuilding Carolina Panthers opponent Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

After Sunday’s match against the Panthers, the Falcons will play the Vikings, the Lions, Carolina once more and the Broncos – four teams with a combined 5-11 entering this week – before heading into a Week 10 bye.

Atlanta can conceivably run the table leading up to that bye week, at which point they’d be 5-4, an identical record through nine games as the 2017 squad that went to the second round of the playoffs.

Yes, it’s wishful thinking, but right now, that’s all Atlanta fans can hope for.

Injury Report

Atlanta –

Out: WR Julio Jones, S Jaylinn Hawkins

Carolina –

Out: CB Eli Apple

Team Rankings

Total Offense (Yards Per Game)

Atlanta – 8th

Carolina – 12th

Total Defense

Atlanta – 31st