Good news: Julio Jones isn’t expected to miss time with a hip flexor injury

Let’s be real: If the bye wasn’t this week, the Falcons would probably be heading into their next game without Julio Jones. Because they do have the well-timed week off, however, it sounds like #11 should be on track for Week 6 against the Dolphins barring any setbacks.

That’s good news for the Falcons, who are as banged up right now as they were at any point in 2016. They lost Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu during the course of yesterday’s game, and they were already without Vic Beasley, Ryan Schraeder, Courtney Upshaw, and Ricardo Allen. You can surmount losses, but at some point your chances of winning are diminished, and that point is usually Julio + number.

The Falcons should get Allen, Schraeder, and Julio back, at minimum, for Week 6’s tilt with a pretty terrible-looking Dolphins team, which would be a major boost. Beasley and (hopefully) Sanu and Upshaw should follow in time for the Patriots game in Week 7, so as long as the team takes advantage of this rest period, they should be well-equipped to take their Bills loss out on the rest of the AFC East.