This has always been an established statement, but Julio Jones is a rare breed.
Despite the struggles on the field and with injuries, Jones would not let the Atlanta Falcons fail on Sunday versus San Francisco on the road. Regardless of it being first in the NFC West — prior to the matchup — and holding the No. 1 seed in the playoff picture, Jones handed the 49ers its third defeat of the season. The former Alabama star posted a season-high 13 receptions from Matt Ryan for 134 yards (second-most) with two scores in a 29-22 win for the Falcons.
Just Julio being Julio. pic.twitter.com/5dgxmq3qHk
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 15, 2019
JULIOOOOOOOOOOOO
We’re in the red zone in the final minute! pic.twitter.com/BIT4rC71K6
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 16, 2019
NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT ONE!
TOUCHDOWN JULIO! pic.twitter.com/JAeuwHL9RE
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 16, 2019
Making it look easy. TOUCHDOWN JULIO. pic.twitter.com/lxmWrWXGtG
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 15, 2019
He has 11,881 career receiving yards, which surpasses Jerry Rice (NFL Hall of Famer) for most yards by a receiver in its first nine seasons. Rice tallied 11,776 yards through his first nine years in San Francisco from 1985-93.
He was one of the NFL’s greatest wide receivers from 1985-04.
It may have won only five games this year, but Jones reeled in five 100-yard outings and four games with at least one touchdown catch. He’s also totaled six consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns (1,150) since 2014 and at 30 years old, he’s gotten even better with his dominance.
Ryan had to revert back to his main guy with Calvin Ridley out for the season; however, Jones has always been a model of consistency. At some point, he would love to return to the Super Bowl and win a championship.
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For now, he dropped the 49ers out the top-seed for the NFC.
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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 @CoachingMSmith.
