The Atlanta Falcons were missing several key players at Wednesday's walkthrough. Julio Jones, William Moore and Robert Alford all did not participate, according to our own Jeanna Thomas.
Jones injured his hip towards the end of Monday night's game against the Green Bay Packers. Early indications led us to believe he would likely miss a few practices leading up to Week 15.
Moore's night against the Packers was cut short due to an ankle injury. He played 14 snaps in Week 14. Fortunately Mike Smith said Moore and Jones "don't need to practice to play Sunday," as Vaughn McClure of ESPN tweeted today.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see both players held out of practice over the next couple days. We'd like to see them practice Friday at least, but Smith seems confident his veterans can be ready for the game even if they're not involved during the daily preparations.
Alford is still waiting to get back in action after breaking his wrist last month. There was optimism about him practicing last week, but that never happened. He has a good chance to take the field prior to Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Considering today was just an early walkthrough, there's no reason to panic about anyone sitting out. A.J. Green just posted 224 yards on the Steelers secondary. Fingers crossed Jones can go on Sunday.