The Atlanta Falcons have a plethora of offensive weapons, but All-Pro WR Julio Jones stands alone in terms of production, consistency and longevity. With Jones banged up and potentially out for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, though, the team will be relying on those other play-makers in Week 5.
Calvin Ridley, who’s been a breakout performer this season, was held without a catch in Week 4. Both of Atlanta’s starting wideouts are banged up. According to offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Jones’ absence is by far the hardest to make up for:
“You’re taking one of the best players of all time out of your lineup, so it’s not gonna be the same, there’s just no way it could be the same,” said Koetter prior to Friday’s practice.
The thing that sets Jones apart from the rest of the Falcons’ receivers is his ability to make a game-changing play at any moment.
“Those guys like Julio make plays that you don’t plan for. They make spectacular plays. And that’s something that these other guys would love to do but they just haven’t proven that yet,” Koetter explained.
Watch Atlanta’s offensive coordinator speak about Jones’ potential absence below, as shared by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure on Twitter:
Dirk Koetter on the offense without Julio pic.twitter.com/VC15YmyvbY
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) October 9, 2020
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