No opposing players have been able to stop Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones of late, but it appears he hasn’t been as successful in his battle against his own hip.
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports that Jones will miss Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Jones went off for 259 yards against the Packers last Sunday, but hurt his hip late in the game and missed practice all week while receiving treatment.
The Falcons maintained an optimistic tone about Jones’ chances of playing all week, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Jones “can barely run” at this point in his recovery.
It would be a big loss for the Falcons as they try to stay in first place in the NFC South. They should still be able to find success against a leaky Steelers secondary with Roddy White and Harry Douglas, but there’s no real substitute for the kind of impact Jones can have on a game.
McClure also reports that the Falcons are expected to be without safety William Moore, who is battling a foot injury and joined Jones on the sideline during practice this week.