Five things to know before today’s Falcons at Browns’ kickoff

Julio Jones 13 yards away from 10,000-yard receiving plateau

5 players to watch in Falcons @ Browns

Here are five things to know before today’s Falcons (4-4) at Browns (2-6-1) kickoff at 1 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones needs just 13 yards to reach the 10,000-yards in his career.

Over 102 career games, Jones has 9,987 yards. Reaching the 10,000-yard mark in his 103rd career game would make him the fastest player in NFL history to reach that mark -- by a large margin -- the league’s modern passing era.

1. Injury report: The Falcons are nearly at full strength as starting right cornerback Robert Alford will return to the lineup. The only player ruled out against the Browns was kicker Matt Bryant. Alford missed last Sunday's 38-14 win in Washington with a sprained ankle. Bryant kicked in practice Thursday for the first time since straining his right hamstring Oct. 14 against the Buccaneers, but will miss his third consecutive contest. Giorgio Tavecchio will continue to handle place-kicking duties.

2. The Irivn plan. Recently signed veteran defensive end Bruce Irvin will play in the game, although it hasn't been decided how much.

3. Series history. This will be the 15th meeting. The Browns lead the series 11-3 and have won three of the last four meetings.

4. Where to watch, listen and stream. The game will be on Fox Sports with Kenny Albert handling the play-by-play, Ronde Barber as analysis and Sara Walsh as the field reporter.

5. Weather update. Snow flurries hit Cleveland on Friday and Saturday, but it's supposed to be a balmy 37 degrees and partly cloudy at the 1 p.m. kickoff, according to weather.com. There's supposed to be southwesterly wind of 9 miles per hour with 48 percent humidity.

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