Steelers looking forward to facing Jones
PITTSBURGH – Atlanta Falcons star receiver Julio Jones missed practice for the second consecutive day Thursday as his team prepared to host the Steelers.
That’s news that will cause most Steelers fans to rejoice. In his past two games, Jones has 21 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns and has overtaken Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown as the NFL leader in receiving yards.
If Jones is unable to play for the Falcons (5-8) Sunday because of the hip injury suffered in the second half of a 43-37 loss Monday night in Green Bay, it would seemingly give the Steelers (8-5) a better chance to win against one of the NFC South leaders.
The Steelers are not concerned whether Jones plays.
In fact, the Steelers’ message to the Falcons appears to be, “Bring him on.”
“We go into a game looking to stop everyone. Everyone is stoppable,” said Steelers cornerback Brice McCain. “I think we can do it. It doesn’t change week to week.
“Defenses have too much confidence, too much pride.”
That might seem like big talk, especially considering the Steelers allowed Cincinnati’s A.J. Green to catch 11 passes for a career-high 224 yards and an 81-yard touchdown in last Sunday’s win over the Bengals.
Part of the reason players such as Jones and Green have had big games is because they’re seeing a lot of passes thrown their way. Jones was targeted 17 times against the Packers, and Green had 15 passes thrown his way against the Steelers.
Star receivers are going to be the focal point of the passing game, much like Brown is for the Steelers.
“They’re going to get attempts, but it’s our goal to stop them. We don’t settle,” said McCain. “We won’t settle on six catches or 100 yards. We won’t say, ‘He’s going to get his.’ That’s not how we roll. If we settle, we’re flipping a coin. We’re trying to cause turnovers and create havoc.”
The Steelers matched Ike Taylor against Green until Taylor pulled himself out of the game with a shoulder injury following the 81-yard touchdown catch on the final play of the third quarter.
Like Jones, Taylor has not practiced this week and might not play Sunday.
William Gay, the Steelers’ other starter, sat out practice Wednesday with a quadriceps injury, but returned Thursday.
“You want to talk about somebody being a No. 1 corner, you’ve got to talk about William Gay, as much as people don’t like him,” said Taylor. “He’s the hottest corner.”
No matter who is the hottest of the Steelers’ corners, matching one up on Jones is difficult. The Falcons line him in various formations to try to take advantage of matchups.
“He’ll line up on either side of the formation or in the slot,” said Steelers safety Mike Mitchell, who took responsibility for the long touchdown catch by Green. “They’ll move him all over. You don’t want to get a linebacker matched up on Julio Jones.”
Jones also isn’t the lone weapon for the Falcons, either. Roddy White is a four-time Pro Bowl receiver with more than 10,000 career receiving yards.
“White has been there for a long time,” said Taylor. “He’s the Robin. Julio’s the Batman. It’s a great one-two punch.”
Odds and end zones
Taylor was the lone Steelers player to sit out practice Thursday, though linebacker James Harrison (knee) and center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) were limited. … Right tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle) who has missed the past two games, was a full participant Thursday. … Brown leads all NFL receivers in Pro Bowl fan voting. Running back Le’Veon Bell and Pouncey are second at their respective positions.