Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones was ruled out of Thursday night's 26-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints because of a shoulder injury.

Jones appeared to injure his right shoulder in the first half of last week's 35-22 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but played 48 of 85 offensive snaps and finished the game.

Jones went through a brief warm-up in pregame Thursday, catching passes from assistant head coach Raheem Morris. Jones then took a lap with coach Dan Quinn to discuss his status and walked off the field shaking his head.

He watched as the other receivers went through the typical warm-up without him.

Calvin Ridley was Matt Ryan's primary target in Jones' absence, recording eight receptions for 91 yards.

The Falcons were also without tight end Austin Hooper (MCL), but running back Devonta Freeman made his return from a foot injury and rushed for 51 yards on 17 carries. Starting left guard James Carpenter left Thursday's game because of a concussion.

Jones, who has not missed a game this season despite dealing with a few nagging injuries, leads the Falcons with 64 receptions for 950 yards and four touchdowns.

Another 50 receiving yards will put him past 1,000 for the season and give him six consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards. However, Jones hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 3 at Indianapolis.