The Atlanta Falcons appear set to have their top wide receiver back for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Julio Jones practiced in a limited capacity for the first time in two weeks on Friday, and he does not carry a designation for this weekend's matchup.
RELATED CONTENT
That's obviously good news for a team seeking its first win of the year and an offense looking to attack a young Vikings cornerback group. The last full game that Jones has played was against the Dallas Cowboys, and he looked noticeably pained by his hamstring. Atlanta ruled out two players for Sunday - rookie safety Jaylinn Hawkins due to a concussion and defensive end Takk McKinley with a groin injury. Defensive end John Cominsky is listed as questionable for Sunday.
Here is the Falcons' full injury report from Friday:
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S Ricardo Allen | Elbow | Full participation | Full participation | Full participation | N/A |
| S Keanu Neal | Hamstring | Limited participation | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| DE Dante Fowler | Ankle | Limited participation | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| TE Hayden Hurst | Back | Limited participation | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| WR Russell Gage | Shoulder | Limited participation | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| DT Grady Jarrett | Back | Limited participation | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| DE Takk McKinley | Groin | Limited participation | Limited participation | Did not participate | Out |
| LB Foye Oluokun | Knee | Limited participation | Limited participation | Limited participation | N/A |
| WR Julio Jones | Hamstring | Did not participate | Did not participate | Limited participation | N/A |
| S Jaylinn Hawkins | Concussion | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Out |
| DT Deadrin Senat | Rest | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | N/A |
| C Alex Mack | Rest | N/A | Did not participate | N/A | N/A |
| DE John Cominsky | Illness - Not COVID related | N/A | N/A | Did not participate | Questionable |
Here is the Vikings' injury report from Thursday:
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB Dalvin Cook | Groin | Did not participate | Did not participate | Out | |
| WR K.J. Osborn | Hamstring | Did not participate | Did not participate | Out | |
| CB Holton Hill | Foot | Did not participate | Did not participate | Doubtful | |
| DT Jaleel Johnson | Back | Did not participate | Limited participation | N/A | |
| CB Kris Boyd | Hamstring | Limited participation | Did not participate | Out | |
| C Garrett Bradbury | Finger/Knee | Limited participation | Full participation | N/A | |
| FB C.J. Ham | Shoulder | Limited participation | Full participation | N/A | |
| G Dru Samia | Wrist | N/A | Did not participate | Out |
What it means
The Falcons will benefit from having Jones in the fold on Sunday. He has just one 100-yard game in 2020, but he's capable of going off in any given game, and Calvin Ridley will also enjoy having coverage rolled towards Jones. Notably, the Vikings ruled out starting running back Dalvin Cook for the game, which is a small break for Atlanta's defense, which will be without Takk McKinley. This is an important game for Atlanta under interim head coach Raheem Morris, and they are near full strength heading into it.
