Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons might once again be without wide receiver Julio Jones when they play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that Jones, who has a hamstring injury, looks like he will miss his team's Week 5 matchup:

Jones started Monday's 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers but exited after making four catches for 32 yards.

The 31-year-old is a seven-time Pro Bowler who averaged more than 1,300 receiving yards a season through his first nine years.

The Atlanta receiving corps without Jones drives home how much his presence lifts the unit.

Calvin Ridley didn't have a single catch on five targets against the Packers. He has an ankle injury, but the Falcons got nothing from the receiver who was supposed to be their No. 1 option in Jones' absence.

That could be a reflection of Ridley, Matt Ryan, the play-calling or a combination of the three.

The good news is that the Panthers haven't been an elite defense against the pass. They're allowing only 227 yards per game, seventh-best in the NFL, but opposing quarterbacks are hitting on 71.7 percent of their throws, which puts Carolina 28th, and have a 96.3 passer rating (15th).

Ryan, whose 167 attempts are third-most in the league, might be able to have success against Carolina even without Jones. But that's as much as you can positively spin an injury to Atlanta's biggest star as the 0-4 Falcons seek their first win.

Dan Quinn doesn't appear to be in imminent danger of losing his job as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. 

Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reported "there's no indication at this time" that Quinn will be fired despite the team's 0-4 start this season. 

Even though there has been increased outside pressure for the Falcons to make a change at head coach, Benjamin Allbright of Pro Football Network reported last week that team owner Arthur Blank "is willing to give him a chance to turn things around."

Allbright did note that Quinn "has a mandate to make the playoffs" after finishing under .500 in each of the previous two seasons. 

The Falcons' 0-4 start this season is especially disheartening because the team has blown double-digit leads in two games. They allowed 30 points in the second half to the Dallas Cowboys in a 40-39 loss in Week 2. They were outscored 20-0 in the fourth quarter of a 30-26 loss to the Chicago Bears the following week. 

Atlanta has allowed at least 30 points in each of its first four games and ranks 31st in points allowed per game (34.5). 

Quinn is in his sixth season as Falcons head coach. He led the team to consecutive playoff berths in 2016 and 2017, including an appearance in Super Bowl LI. They have gone 14-22 since the start of 2018. 

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is out for the rest of Monday's game against the Green Bay Packers after suffering a hamstring injury in the first half, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Jones missed Week 3 as he battled a hamstring issue and was listed as questionable on the Falcons' injury report before it was reported by Pelissero early Monday that he would take the field.

Pelissero reported that Jones was "dragged down awkwardly" in the first half and stretched on the sideline before returning, but he did not return to the field for the third quarter as the 0-3 Falcons trailed 20-3.

Before he exited, Jones became the franchise leader in career receptions, grabbing his 809th pass to overtake Roddy White, having collected four passes for 32 yards while on the field.

The seven-time Pro Bowl selection has been hindered by a slow start to the 2020 campaign after missing just four games over the past six seasons. In his first two outings this year, he picked up 11 passes for 181 yards, though Calvin Ridley has seen more action than the 10th-year receiver this season, with 349 yards on 21 catches and four scores through the first three games. However, Ridley had no catches and no yardage through the opening three quarters of Monday night's game, as Atlanta trailed 27-9.

As Jones and Ridley fell flat, Olamide Zaccheaus grabbed five receptions for 54 yards, followed by tight end Hayden Hurst, who had three catches for 37 yards through three quarters.

Jones wasn't the only loss for the Falcons on Monday. Safety Damontae Kazee was carted off the field, and Pelissero later reported that he suffered an Achilles injury.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones suffered a hamstring injury against the Green Bay Packers on Monday and was ruled out, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

That means the Falcons—and any fantasy managers who start him—are looking for alternate ways to grab points.

Calvin Ridley is the obvious next man up for Atlanta with three games of 100 or more yards to open the season. He's caught 21 of 35 targets for 349 yards and four touchdowns. He's 99 percent rostered in all Yahoo Leagues, so it's highly unlikely that he's still floating around. But if he's been on your bench in favor of another player, he's worth a look as he slides in as the Falcons' WR1 for the foreseeable future.

Third-year receiver Russell Gage is expected to slot in with Ridley, but he was forced out of the Falcons' Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears and was in the league's concussion protocol. In his absence, it was Olamide Zaccheaus who helped carry the load for Atlanta. He finished second only to Ridley in Week 3, grabbing four of his six targets for 41 yards.

Gage was back in the lineup Monday and should draw starting consideration if Jones is sidelined in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere on the field, tight end Hayden Hurst is waiting for his breakout moment in 2020, and with Matt Ryan in need of more options, it could come soon. He still isn't a strong candidate to start in anyone's fantasy lineups but is worth watching to see if he can produce with his team in need.

In a pass-happy offense, not much will change up front with Ridley healthy and a smattering of other options for Ryan. But fantasy managers should keep an eye on the development of Zaccheaus and Hurst, who could factor into the Falcons' success down the line. 

Atlanta Falcons receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley will be available for Monday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the wideouts are good to go.

Jones missed last week's game against the Chicago Bears while nursing a lingering hamstring injury. Ridley was listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

The Falcons entered Week 4 among the most desperate teams in the sport, sitting at 0-3 after back-to-back embarrassing comeback losses. Having Jones and Ridley in the lineup should give them enough offensive firepower to compete with a Packers team that may be without Davante Adams for the second straight week.

Jones has recorded 11 receptions for 181 yards through his first two games played in 2020. Ridley has overtaken Jones as Matt Ryan's top target, but both remain clear WR1s in fantasy formats because of the Falcons' high-octane offense. Ridley has racked up 21 grabs for 349 yards and four touchdowns, going over the 100-yard mark the last three weeks.

Russell Gage may see a downtick in work with Jones back in the lineup.

The Atlanta Falcons might be 0-3, but they are leading the sports world in something.

When the team welcomes back a limited number of fans beginning Oct. 11, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will become the first professional sports venue to use drones to clean, according to ESPN's Vaughn McClure.  

The drones will disinfect the seats, railings, and glass partitions, helping to reduce the time required to clean the 71,000-seat stadium by 95 percent. 

A Charlotte-based company, Lucid Drone Technologies, will provide Mercedes-Benz Stadium with two drones to clean the stadium, as well as a third that will be used for backup. The drones will spray medical-grade disinfectant that also will prevent bacteria and viruses from sticking to surfaces through electrostatic spraying nozzles. The cleaning solution complies with Environmental Protection Agency standards.

"The process of welcoming fans back involves actively listening and responding to their concerns, and we understand that proper cleaning and sanitization protocols are top of mind in the current environment," said Dietmar Exler, COO of AMB Sports and Entertainment, per ESPN. 

The Falcons aren't the only team with a modernized cleaning procedure this season. The Carolina Panthers are using a "germ-zapping robot," as termed by team president Tom Glick, to clean locker rooms and offices. The Xenex LightStrike Robot is 99.9 percent effective at killing the coronavirus, according to its website. When the 1-2 Panthers host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, 5,240 fans will be in attendance.

It happened again.

A week after blowing a 20-0 lead against the Dallas Cowboys and losing, the Atlanta Falcons blew a 16-point lead Sunday against the Chicago Bears and lost 30-26, as Bears backup quarterback Nick Foles led the comeback.

"The last two weeks, and the endings of those, have been nothing short of crushing," head coach Dan Quinn told reporters after the game.

Quinn, who was also the team's head coach when it infamously blew a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI in 2017, added: "It falls on me in all spaces."

The Falcons are unparalleled when it comes to blowing leads. They've made it an art form:

And while Quinn will likely face criticism for the blown leads, running back Todd Gurley made it clear the team's collapses are not on the coach.

"We know what he means to us," Gurley said. "We did not finish for him. We did not finish for each other. We did not finish for the Falcons. We did not finish for the brotherhood. This has nothing to do with him."

Atlanta's season is on the brink, with the team now 0-3. A Week 1 loss to the talented Seattle Seahawks could be forgiven, but blowing big leads the past two weeks has now cost Atlanta two wins and potentially suffocated its playoff hopes with less than a quarter of the season in the books.

Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports reported that "in the NFL's modern era, 2.7% of teams that start off with an 0-3 record make the playoffs."

How big was Sunday's loss? Zangaro added that "21.5% of teams that start off 1-2 make the playoffs."

That's a huge swing, though Matt Ryan isn't sounding the alarm bells just yet:

Despite those comments, though, blowing big leads has clearly become a trend in the Quinn-Ryan era. If the Falcons don't find a way to play their way back into playoff contention, some major changes could be coming in Atlanta.

With one of the top receivers in the NFL on the sideline, the Atlanta Falcons will have to find other pass-catchers ready to step up in the lineup.  

Julio Jones suffered a hamstring injury and will miss Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, negatively affecting the entire Falcons offense that relies on the receiver's big-play ability.

However, this is still a high-powered offense and Jones' injury could open up the door for some big games from a few different options.

Calvin Ridley is already in most fantasy lineups, but he could be in for a major boost with WR1 upside. It makes him a top option for daily fantasy leagues as well.

The rest of the pass-catchers could also see more snaps and targets, including Russell Gage.

The third-year player performed well last season after Mohamed Sanu was traded away and he has kept it up in 2020 with 160 yards and one score in two games. Without Jones, Gage should be in most fantasy lineups with a relatively high floor for such an unproven player.

Matt Ryan is still going to throw the ball a ton and Gage could be looking at double-digit targets for as long as Jones is out.

Tight end Hayden Hurst could also improve upon his early play to start the season, especially in the red zone where his size at 6'4", 260lbs could be an asset. Inconsistency likely kept him out of fantasy lineups, but he could be a TE1 going forward.

Olamide Zaccheaus becomes the next man up at receiver and could be added in deeper leagues, providing a lot of upside in a pass-heavy attack. However, he shouldn't be near your lineup until he proves himself on the field.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is inactive for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter noted the veteran has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury that will keep him on the sidelines.

While Jones was fairly durable the past six seasons, missing just four combined games, he suffered a season-ending fractured foot in 2013 that limited him to five contests.

When healthy, the seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro member is one of the best receivers in the league.

He helped spearhead Atlanta's Super Bowl run in 2016 with 1,409 receiving yards and six touchdown catches after turning heads in 2015 with a career-high 1,871 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions. Jones has 11 catches for 181 yards in 2020 as the Falcons' go-to receiver.

Fortunately for Atlanta, it still has other options to turn to in the aerial attack if Jones is forced to miss time. Look for it to rely more on the combination of Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage at wide receiver while also counting on running back Todd Gurley to make plays.

Still, the Falcons offense is far less dangerous when Jones is not healthy and on the field.

Sunday's game between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears will go forward as scheduled despite A.J. Terrell being placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported all Falcons players and staff tested negative for COVID, clearing the pathway to the game going ahead as scheduled. Terrell became the first player to be placed on the COVID list during the regular season after being flagged in a test Friday.

The NFL has been testing players daily since they arrived to training camp and have all players wearing a tracker at team facilities for contact tracing. The Falcons went through contact-tracing protocols Saturday after Terrell's test was flagged. 

Under terms of the NFL's agreement with players, the league is not allowed to disclose whether Terrell tested positive.

The rookie first-round pick was a starter for each of his first two NFL games, recording 11 tackles. Pro Football Focus gave him a 63.4 rating for his performance in those contests.

Darqueze Dennard will move into the starting lineup with Terrell out of the lineup.