Julio Jones inactive against Rams

When the Falcons take the field against the Los Angeles Rams this afternoon, they’ll do so without Julio Jones. The team has announced that Jones will be inactive today as he recovers from turf toe.

Turf toe is a sprain of the big toe that results from upward bending of the joint, which is not the way it’s supposed to bend. For a receiver like Jones, whose explosiveness is his greatest strength, it makes it pretty impossible to be effective. Better to rest Jones now and get him healthy for the stretch.

Mohamed Sanu, Sr. was ruled out earlier in the week with a groin strain. Joining Jones and Sanu on the inactives list for Sunday are safeties Sharrod Neasman and Robenson Therezie, offensive linemen Kevin Graf and Wes Schweitzer, and unsurprisingly, defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn, who will likely be out for a few more weeks.

This means left tackle Jake Matthews is active, and that’s good news, as there’s a big drop off in talent from Matthews to Tom Compton. Hopefully Matthews is healthy enough to be effective as he protects Matt Ryan’s left side.