ATLANTA -- You can dissect the situation any way you want. The simple fact is the Atlanta Falcons need Julio Jones back.
It's hard to speculate how much of an impact Jones would have had on Sunday's outcome, with the Falcons dropping a tough 27-20 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the Falcons can't live in hindsight. They have to be concerned about the immediate future.
For all the migraines this 5-9 campaign has caused for the Falcons' brass and fans alike, the season can be salvaged with a win at New Orleans next week and a victory at home over Carolina in the finale. But in order to pull off that feat, secure the NFC South title with an unprecedented 6-0 division mark as a losing team and host a first-round playoff game, the Falcons need Jones' ailing hip to heal fast.
"It will be important to get him back because he's such a big part of our offense," fellow receiver Roddy White said. "His ability to stretch the field and do the things that he's able to do and just be that explosive guy, just to get him back next week would be great.
"But if we don't get him back, then Harry [Douglas] is going to have to play like he did today. Devin [Hester] is going to have to play like he did today. And I'm going to have to play better."
The Falcons might not admit it publicly, but they did the smart thing Sunday in holding out their top player. Jones, who injured his hip late in last Monday night's loss at Green Bay, didn't practice all week. His most extensive work apparently was on an exercise bike. He tested out his running Saturday at the team's indoor practice facility, where it was determined he wasn't well enough to go. Any talk of him giving it a last-minute attempt during pregame warm-ups was just talk.
"We want Julio out there on the field any time that he can be out there," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "This game was just as important, in our mind, as any game. There are so many different things that can happen when you've still got three weeks left in the season.
"Our people in the medical department felt like it wasn't in his best interest to go out and play the game. They're going to be the ones that make that decision. Mike Smith's not going to make that decision about Julio Jones, nor is Julio Jones. The doctors are going to talk it through. ... We're not going to play the what-if games about it: play this week, play that week. We want to have our best players out there every week."
Before missing Sunday's game, Jones had moved into the NFL's top spot with 1,458 receiving yards and had racked up 448 receiving yards in his previous two games. Jones had Calvin Johnson rooting for him to break the single-season receiving mark which Johnson currently holds (1,964 yards) and had opposing cornerbacks rethinking if they were as good as they claimed themselves to be.
The Falcons definitely could have used Jones' playmaking ability in the red zone against the Steelers. They went 2-for-4 in such situations.
"I knew once we got down there, we had to score touchdowns," White said. "First-and-goal on the 2-yard line, just unacceptable for us not to get into the end zone. And it hurts us at the end. You just can't keep getting down there and putting yourselves in bad situations, man -- kicking field goals from the 5-yard line in. It's just not good football. It's not good football, especially with the players that we have on our team. You've got to find a way to punch it in."
The Falcons pack more of a punch with Jones on the field, so his health will be of the utmost importance the rest of the way. Matt Ryan and the offense still put up 407 total yards without him Sunday, with Ryan completing 26 of 37 passes for 310 yards and touchdown tosses to Hester and White. The offensive line held up well again and didn't allow a sack.
But the Falcons had grown accustomed to seeing Jones beating folks deep in recent weeks. Even at 80 percent, he should be able to do the same against the New Orleans Saints' struggling defense that entered this week ranked 29th out of 32 teams against the pass. Jones had seven catches for 116 yards in the Falcons' 37-34 overtime victory over the Saints in the season opener.
"It's certainly always tough when he's not in," Ryan said of Jones. "He's such a special player and dynamic player for us."
Playing next Sunday's game in New Orleans only emphasizes how much the Falcons need to have Jones back in the lineup. The Saints have won three in a row over the Falcons at the Superdome and seven of the past eight there.
"It's a tough situation, man," White said. "We've put ourselves in a tough situation with having to win two games in a row. We've got to go on the road next week and it's going to be tough to win down there. We've got to find a way to get it done."
With or without Jones.
