As the Falcons continue their week of practice ahead of Sunday's rematch against the Saints, there was some notable movement on the injury report.
RELATED CONTENT
Starting running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Julio Jones were held out of practice on Thursday after practicing in a limited capacity to start the week. Gurley has traditionally been given one off day this season by the Falcons, so it's worth monitoring both his status and that of Jones tomorrow. They weren't the only ones to be downgraded, however, as tight end Hayden Hurst was also held out after practicing in a limited fashion on Wednesday. On a more positive note for Atlanta, kicker Younghoe Koo was able to practice fully for the first time this week as he is nursing a right quad injury.
Here is the Falcons' injury report from Thursday:
| Player | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|
| FB Keith Smith | Knee | Full participation | Full participation |
| WR Calvin Ridley | Foot/Ankle | Limited participation | Limited participation |
| DE Dante Fowler | Hamstring | Limited participation | Limited participation |
| WR Julio Jones | Hamstring | Limited participation | Did not participate |
| RB Todd Gurley | Knee | Limited participation | Did not participate |
| TE Hayden Hurst | Ankle | Limited participation | Did not participate |
| K Younghoe Koo | Right quad | Limited participation | Full participation |
| CB Kendall Sheffield | Illness | Did not participate | Did not participate |
| G James Carpenter | Groin | Did not participate | Did not participate |
| C Alex Mack | Rest | N/A | Did not participate |
What it means
Although the Falcons didn't need Jones and Gurley to throttle the Raiders, it wouldn't hurt to have them back for this rematch. Atlanta's offense struggled to get going against New Orleans in the first meeting, and Jones's absence for much of the game played into that. The Falcons' defense is emerging and has proved it can win games for Atlanta, but it might need all hands on deck this weekend for both sides of the ball.
