Julio Jones, William Moore will be game-time decisions against Steelers

After Thursday’s practice in Flowery Branch, the Atlanta Falcons “announced” that there will be some game-time decisions from a health perspective in advance of Sunday’s contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both WR Julio Jones and SS William Moore were absent from practice as a result of lingering injury concerns, and with that, head coach Mike Smith had this to say about their status, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

"“I think that there’s a good chance that these guys will be ready to go,” Smith said. “Both of them have made a big turnaround in the first 48 hours, and usually that first 48 hours is a pretty good indicator. I think they will both be game-time decisions, but we do like the way that they’ve progressed through the first 48 hours.”"

The more visible loss would be Julio Jones, who broke two franchise records during a stellar performance on Monday night against the Packers, but he was forced to leave that game early after an apparent hip pointer that could slow him down in this match-up. In the case of Moore, he exited quite a bit earlier as a result of a foot issue, and his absence would be magnified given Pittsburgh’s propensity to drive the ball downfield.

There is an argument to be made that Jones (who is a lock) and Moore represent two of the top players on the entire Atlanta roster, and in a virtual must-win spot for the Falcons, it would be highly beneficial to have both players in uniform. Stay tuned.