He encountered issues with both his ankle and ribs in practice before facing the Los Angeles Rams on Wild Card Weekend, but wide receiver Julio Jones suited up for the Atlanta Falcons.
The former University of Alabama standout handled linebacker Mark Barron (another UA alumnus) and company in hauling in nine receptions for 94 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter to provide Atlanta with a 26-13 win on the road.
Along with accounting for Matt Ryan’s lone touchdown, Jones led the team in receiving and averaged 10.4 yards a catch (10 targets) while five of his nine grabs resulted in first downs.
https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/949996692501291008
Before entering postseason action, the seven-year veteran turned in his fifth career 1,000-yard campaign – posting 88 catches for 1,444 receiving yards and three scores in 2017. Now in his fourth playoff appearance, Jones has 733 yards with six touchdown receptions on 52 catches.
After helping the Falcons possess the ball away from a high-powered Rams offense, Jones and the dirty birds will travel to Lincoln Financial Field to battle the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional round next week.
A former Southeastern Conference and BCS national champion at Alabama, Jones expects for this group to not only return to the Super Bowl, but to this time win the event for the city of Atlanta.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
