In a handful of hours, the Atlanta Falcons will play host to the New Orleans Saints in Thursday Night Football. Questions loomed even as early as this morning if they’d be doing so with tight end Tony Gonzalez, who was questionable with a toe injury.
It’s something that has bothered Gonzalez for a few weeks now and put his status in doubt, but according to head coach Mike Smith, the eventual Hall of Fame tight end will be a go for the prime-time matchup:
"“We’ll, he’s listed as questionable, but we anticipate that Tony’s going to play in the ballgame,” head coach Mike Smith said. “He got an opportunity to work with us today. Much more workload than he did last week. We anticipate that he’ll be ready to go.’"
Of course, how effective Gonzalez will be remains to be seen. The injury didn’t seem to slow down Gonzo last weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Saints have been quite tough on opposing tight ends this season so the matchup isn’t nearly as solid.