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Got plans for the weekend before Christmas? No? Great — you can watch the Falcons play the Panthers. We’re 120 minutes away from the end of the never-ending nausea of the Atlanta Falcons 2018 season, and if you’re planning to punish yourself by watching the Falcons-Panthers game you may as well pregame with Friday’s Falcoholinks.
Poaching the Panthers
It’s a weekly feature around these parts, and this week we want to know which Panthers free agent would you most like to see in Atlanta. They don’t have many playmakers hitting the market in 2019, so from an additions standpoint they’re pretty sparse. That is, of course, unless you believe that Julius Peppers can still sack quarterbacks at the age of 39.
The Falcoholic Crossfire Podcast
It’s back again this week, and Eric Robinson is back as well to defend his win over Jeanna Thomas. His competition is Falcoholic Postgame Podcast regular Adnan Ikic, and he and Eric vigorously debate a variety of topics such as the blame game on the offense, Takk McKinley’s sack production next season, and Ryan Schraeder’s future. Give this week’s episode a listen right here.
Julio Jones a question mark
Star wide receiver Julio Jones has been held out of practice all week with a hip injury, and it’s looking unlikely that he suits up for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. ESPN’s Vaughn McClure has the quote:
Julio Jones didn't commit to playing in Sunday's Falcons-Panthers game, as he typically does when there's a health concern. Jones is dealing with hip and rib injuries. ``I'm day to day,'' Jones said. ``It's just I'm getting better, working every day,... https://t.co/LjiPHIKC9C
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) December 20, 2018
Eliminated from the playoffs, it’s definitely best to let Julio heal up rather than risk further injury at the end of the year. We’ll see if we get official word closer to game time, but it seems like Jones is heading toward the inactive list.
Nightmares: Realized
I don’t even know how to properly preface this next one. Sarcasm won’t cut it because this truly sucks: Should the Saints win the NFC, not only will they play for a Super Bowl in Mercedes-Benz Stadium — they’ll practice there, too. And use the Falcons’ locker room. Hopefully not the ping-pong table.
We’re moonlighting as Rams and Bears fans at this point — anything that will put the brakes on this abomination.