Falcons’ Julio Jones Out For Sunday’s Game Against Carolina

Added on Oct 13, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have made a habit of beating up on the Carolina Panthers in recent years, but this weekend they’ll have to face their divisional foe without one of their top receiving weapons. Wide receiver Julio Jones is out with a hamstring injury he suffered in the loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Harry Douglas will start in place of Jones and head coach Mike Smith waxed philosophic about the situation:

“One man’s misfortune is another guy’s opportunity.”

The injury to Jones was one of several Falcons’ personnel suffered against the Packers. Smith says it’s just part of the game:

“This time of the year, you come to expect that you’re going to have guys that are not going to be 100 percent healthy. We have to prepare during the week and make sure we have the right workload. We’ve got to have contingency plans in terms of it this guy can play and how we are going to put our 46-man roster together.”

The biggest issue on the defensive side of the ball is the concussion suffered by cornerback Christopher Owens:

“There’s really a number of steps you have to go through … and it can’t happen in the same day. It has got to happen on a different day, and it depends on when we get through that first step. Right now, he’s in step one of the protocol.”

The good news for the Falcons is that none of the injuries are especially serious, though it is a concern to have so many ‘nagging injury’ type ailments so early in the season. Atlanta is off to a somewhat disappointing 2-3 start in a year they were expected to be among the top contenders for the NFC crown. They’re currently in third place in the NFC South behind New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

The Panthers are just 1-4 straight up but 4-1 against the pointspread. Atlanta is a -3′ point NFL betting favorite over Carolina with the total set at 51. The Falcons have been flat out dominating against Carolina at home–Atlanta is 12-4 SU/10-5 ATS against the Panthers on their home field dating back to 1992.