Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons: Players to Watch

Julio Jones

Dec 8, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) catches a pass in the endzone for a touchdown against Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Last week I said a player to watch was A.J. Green.  He torched Ike Taylor all day long racking up 224 yards, 11 grabs, and a touchdown.  Thankfully he scored though because the Bengals are now 0-4 when Green scores a touchdown against the Steelers.  Green was so dominant, that the Steelers were forced to sit Taylor, who Coach Tomlin said had a knee injury.  On Sunday the Steelers face another stud wide receiver from the 2011 draft, Julio Jones.  In the past two games Jones has been torching defenses.  Against the Cardinals and Patrick Peterson, Jones caught 10 passes for 189 yards (then a career high) and yesterday against the Packers, Jones set a new career high in yardage with 259 yards, adding a touchdown and eleven catches.  He has also scored a touchdown in three straight games.  Jones did leave Monday night’s game in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.  He did not discuss the injury to reporters but ESPN currently has him listed as questionable for next week.  If Jones is healthy enough to play it could be another long day for the Steelers pass defense, which has allowed an astonishing number of deep balls over the past few weeks.

Whoever has to cover Jones is up for a tall task considering Mike Mitchell has been dreadful at being a safety this year.