Julio Jones' injury leaves uncertainty for Falcons and Steelers

NFL fans and fantasy football owners across the country are waiting to hear if Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones will be playing Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Don't expect a concrete answer until around 12:00 p.m. ET for those that absolutely need to know.

Fans of the sport should be excited to see the show Jones and Antonio Brown could put on display in the Georgia Dome, but for Steelers players and coaches, seeing Jones sit this one out might be an early Christmas gift.

"I don't think we're that lucky (that Jones won't play)," safety Mike Mitchell told Scott Brown of ESPN.com. "I've come to learn this is Pittsburgh and everything we get we earn."

If Jones plays, he will certainly make the Steelers secondary earn their money. Jones has been the hottest wide receiver in football the past two weeks amassing 448 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 catches. Don't forget he left the Monday night game against the Green Bay Packers early and could have put up even more yardage if he hadn't injured his hip.

"He's a great competitor and a great receiver," Dick LeBeau told Ralph Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "They're in the same situation we are in which every game is critical. He'll be there if he possibly can."

If Jones decides to play, he certainly won't be at 100 percent, which bodes well for Pittsburgh's defense. The Steelers allowed Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green to collect 224 yards and a touchdown last week and have been susceptible to the deep pass the entire 2014 season.

Whether Jones suits up Sunday will most likely be a game-time decision, but the decision could have huge ramifications on the outcome of this Week 15 matchup in Atlanta.