Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse for the 1-4 Atlanta Falcons, coming off a last-second loss to the Jets on Monday, the club found out otherwise Tuesday.
Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that wide receiver Julio Jones, one of the Falcons' few bright spots after five games, might have suffered a season-ending foot injury.
Jason Cole, formerly of Yahoo Sports, reported further that Jones broke a screw that was inserted in his foot during a 2011 surgery.
Jones, who is getting a second opinion in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, leading the league in catches with 41 and ranking second in receiving yards with 580 receiving yards (behind Saints tight end Jimmy Graham).
Adding to the potential misery, four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White (hamstring) might only be 50/50 to go Oct. 20, when Atlanta returns from its bye to host Tampa Bay. White, who was already hobbled by a sore ankle, injured his hamstring against the Jets.
If that's the case, then envision this: What to make of a receiving corps of Harry Douglas, Drew Davis and Kevin Cone?
Doesn’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents — the way Jones and White would.
So, the Falcons will conduct practices Wednesday and Thursday to try and improve and somehow get this misbegotten season back on track and into the playoffs, which now seem a distant prospect. For sure, there is plenty to improve.
Special teams have uncharacteristically proven to be a weakness, at times. A fumbled punt by Douglas in Week 3 contributed to a gut-wrenching loss to Miami, and a blocked punt could have done the same last week against the Jets.
The defense, ravaged by injuries, ranks 21st in the NFL in scoring at 26.8 points per game. In particular, it has failed twice in what head coach Mike Smith calls "challenge" situations. That is when the Falcons are trying to protect a lead late and cannot allow a first down.
Atlanta's opponents have converted on 50 percent of its third-down opportunities. The NFL average is 42.1 percent. One measure of the club's pass rush further illustrates the difficulty in those challenge situations.
The Falcons average a sack on 6.3 percent of pass plays. The league average is 7.43 percent.
Turnover margin is a third deficiency on defense. Last year, the Falcons were one of the league's best teams in turnover margin. For 2013, they are tied for 23rd and stand on the negative side of the ledger at minus-2.
Two games in which the Falcons blew leads illustrate their all-encompassing failures: For Week 3, the Dolphins converted three third downs on their game-winning drive.
Even worse against the Jets, quarterback Geno Smith expertly drove his team downfield for the game-winning field goal, encountering only one third down — 3rd-and-3 from the Falcons' 31. Bilal Powell ran for six yards and the Jets kicked the game-winner on the next play. But it hardly mattered.
Even a failure to convert, at that point, would have resulted in a chip-shot field goal. Smith blamed poor tackling on that drive. It's hard to understand how the Falcons will improve their tackling during the bye week, as the club doesn't practice tackling to the ground — for fear of further injury.
On offense, if Jones is lost for the season, the Falcons’ replacements will pale in comparison. Even Smith, who normally has a next-man-up mentality, conceded on Tuesday that Jones is "going to be a hard guy to replace if we have to replace him."
Thinking positively for a minute, if New England quarterback Tom Brady can win with receivers such as Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins and Julian Edelman, then maybe Matt Ryan can win with the Falcons' receiving lot.
After all, they still have Tony Gonzalez — who clearly did not envision this potentially disastrous season when postponing retirement for one more year — and running back Steven Jackson, down since the opening series of Week 2 with a hamstring issue, could be on the mend.
If it weren't for the stellar year that Ryan is having, it’s possible the Falcons could sit winless. Ryan ranks third in passing yards (1,649); and even amid the team’s red-zone woes, his 10 touchdown passes are tied for fifth in the NFL. His QB rating (100.9) also ranks sixth among passers with 150 or more attempts.
Ryan's play has helped mask apparently serious issues with the offensive line play. Right guard Garrett Reynolds struggled badly against the Jets, as he has for much of the season. Lamar Holmes, after losing his job at right tackle to Jeremy Trueblood, has been pressed in at left tackle for the injured Sam Baker.
The good news: The Falcons could get Baker back after the bye week and that offensive line play, possibly, is an area that could benefit from the self-scouting and additional practices that come without a game this weekend.
It's a long road back to winning football, especially with so many injuries. In the final 11 games, the Falcons might have to go 9-2 to qualify for the playoffs as a wild card. Even going 8-3 would probably not put their destiny in their own hands. Daunting challenges remain on the schedule: at Green Bay, at San Francisco and New Orleans and Seattle at home.
All four losses have come in one-possession games. A few plays here or there might have made a dramatic difference. However, as Smith said after the loss on Monday, the Falcons have not made those plays this season.
Will the Falcons make clutch plays in the final 11 games? The deck is stacked against 'em.
