Julio Jones wasn’t himself in his last game. He isn’t sure if he will play on Thursday against the Saints but if he does, the Falcons’ star wide receiver likely will be limited again.
There’s a good chance he won’t have his usual outstanding acceleration. Jones may not be able to reach his top-end speed or out-leap defenders, like normal. His physical limitations against the Redskins threw off his timing with quarterback Matt Ryan, and it could be a problem again against the Saints.
Or Jones might find his normal gear for one or two big plays that change the game for the Falcons (5-0).
“In terms of getting a rhythm back with Julio, we are one play away from that,” Ryan said Tuesday.
And that’s the dilemma for the Saints (1-4). If they decide not to use extra defenders to contain Jones because he’s physically limited, he’s still capable of making them pay by making important plays. It could be risky for them to assume he can’t do it.
Jones appeared to lack his usual explosiveness while catching five passes for 67 yards against the Redskins on Sunday. But the Redskins still had to respect his big-play ability, and Jones made two key catches on the final touchdown drive
Jones said he didn’t aggravate the hamstring and that it’s improved since Sunday. He said he thinks he still can be valuable for the Falcons even if he’s not 100 percent.
“If I can go, I am going to go,” Jones said. “I am going to have to be really down bad not to go out there and play. If I feel like I am putting myself in danger as far as going out there and not being able to make a defender miss, then I won’t go. If I feel like I can do that and help my team by drawing coverage and doing my job, I’m going to go.”
Jones was nearly unstoppable through the first three weeks with 46 catches for 440 yards and four touchdowns. He was limited to four catches for 38 yards in Week 4 against the Texans as the Falcons didn’t need him much during the blowout victory.
Jones didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice, which is the only full session for the Falcons before they play the Saints. What time Jones does spend on the field in the days before the game will be dedicated to getting back in sync with Ryan while not putting any strain on the balky hamstring.
“When he is limited, we make sure we try to feature ways we can do it in ‘walk throughs’ and make sure he and Matt have their correct timing,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “That’s definitely the balance, to make sure he has his readiness and the team does too.”
Even if Jones isn’t as quick and fast because of the sore hamstring, he’s still a big and strong wide receiver. He showed his value as a possession receiver when the Falcons trailed the Redskins with two minutes left in the game.
On first down at Washington’s 49-yard line, Jones shed a jam attempt by cornerback Bashaud Breeland and found a soft spot in the zone to catch a 16-yard pass to Washington’s 37-yard line. On the next play Jones caught Ryan’s pass on a shallow crossing route, busted through safety Kyshoen Jarrett’s low tackle attempt at the 31-yard line, and then bounced off of two more would-be tacklers before lunging forward to the 21-yard line for a first down.
Those plays helped set up the go-ahead touchdown before the Falcons won 25-19 in overtime.
“I don’t think Julio has been 100 percent since the second quarter of the Philly game (in Week 1),” Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “He’s still found a way to be effective and do some very good things. He’s not going to be out there if he can’t go. He’s gone out there and still been able to get the job done.”
