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Julio Jones's availability for Falcons' game against Raiders up in air

Coach Raheem Morris said Falcons could make a game-time decision with Jones

After injuring his hamstring during the Atlanta Falcons' 24-9 loss to the New Orleans, Julio Jones's status for the team's upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders is in question.

Jones has been dealing with a hamstring injury at various times this season and it's caused him to miss two games for Atlanta. Although he was able to return briefly to the game in the fourth quarter, Jones's hamstring was clearly affecting him and could cause him to miss his third game of the 2020 season.

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"We'll learn more about him, obviously, and how far he can go and where he can take it," Interim head coach Raheem Morris said. "But, obviously, the hamstring bothered him yesterday and gave him some real issues. He tried to fight through it like I knew he would, like he always does."

Morris said that as of now they did not know whether this injury would prevent Jones from suiting up against the Raiders. That learning will take place throughout the week as Jones goes through treatment and evaluation.

A 10-year veteran and one of the top receivers in the NFL, Jones has proven to be perfectly comfortable and unaffected by playing in a game without a week of practice, meaning a decision might not be made until just before kickoff.

"We've got to get Julio in the building; he was in today getting treatment, doing all of the things he needs to do," Morris said. "… When we get a chance to take him through Wednesday, through Thursday. Obviously, we'll take Julio to a game-time decision and give him the best opportunity in order to go out there and be able to compete, as long as he's healthy."

Jones's importance to Atlanta's offense was clear against the Saints. Without him on the field for much of the afternoon, the Falcons had season-lows in both points (9) and yards (248) and were just 2-of-14 on third down. Calvin Ridley still managed five catches for 90 yards, but it was a tough day overall for Atlanta's receivers.

Despite missing two full games and portions of various other games due to injury, Jones has still caught 45 passes for 677 yards and three touchdowns this season. The Raiders currently rank 28th against opposing pass offenses, allowing 273.6 yards per game.

Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints with top photos from Week 11

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