The Atlanta Falcons have been without linebacker Deion Jones since Week 1 after suffering a broken foot against the Philadelphia Eagles in season opener. The Falcons announced that Jones was able to get back on the practice field this week and showed enough in practice to play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13.

Jones was an absolute stud last season and helped turn the Atlanta Falcons defense around from previous seasons. Jones accounted for 138 tackles which were good for a second-place tie in the NFL last season behind only Preston Brown, Blake Martinez, and Joe Schobert. Jones also added one sack, three interceptions, and nine passes defended in his impressive 2017 season.

The Falcons not only lost Jones for most of the season, but also lost Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. Losing arguably your best defensive player as well as your top two safeties does not exactly set your defense up for success.

As stated by Darrin Gantt of Pro Football Talk, “their defense didn’t adjust well to the loss of their signal-caller and two of their top tacklers.” This statement couldn't be anymore true considering the Falcons have surrendered big time points on a weekly basis and have struggled to find a true leader on defense in Jones' absence.  The former LSU second-round pick will certainly make an immediate impact and the Falcon's will undoubtedly be ecstatic to get Jones back this week against a run-heavy Ravens squad.

The Falcons sit at 4-7 and with the division all but locked up by New Orleans, the Falcons can only hope to make a run for a wild-card spot.