Jones put on a valiant performance in one of his last 100-yard games as a Falcon to lead them to an upset win over the eventual NFC Conference Champions in San Francisco.
As proven during the 2013-2014 and 2018-2019 seasons, Julio Jones still shone bright even during the gloomiest of times. 2019 was the second consecutive lost year, where the primes of Jones and Matt Ryan were wasted due to poor front office decisions, questionable coaching, and young players not developing into dependable starters. At one point, Dan Quinn was on the verge of being fired. Jones went out to publicly defend the embattled head coach following a disastrous 1-7 start.
Jones took the initiative to help bring some respectability back to an organization that was losing its way. Winning three of five games going into a matchup against a terrific San Francisco team injected some spirit into a dejected Falcons’ locker room.
It was going to be a daunting challenge to beat San Francisco, especially with Calvin Ridley injured and Mohamed Sanu traded to New England. A once high-powered offense was left with Jones, an emerging Austin Hooper, and Russell Gage in his second year.
With the 49ers having one of their vintage, vicious defenses and Atlanta struggling to run the ball, this had all the makings of being a one-sided game. Jones was going to do everything he could to make it competitive.
The Formula
The box score tells the story of how much the offense depended on its superstar wide receiver. Ryan completed 25 of 39 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Jones caught 13 passes on 20 targets for 134 yards and two touchdowns. It was one of those classic games in which the game plan was built on throwing the ball to number 11, getting the ball to number 11, and forgetting anything that didn’t count on number 11 making a play.
San Francisco wasn’t altering its coverage to prevent him from receiving the ball. They trusted their pass rush to rattle Ryan, with its physical secondary doing its part to disrupt the passing game’s rhythm. The quickness with which Ryan got the ball out to Jones caught them off guard. Jones had only one reception over 20+ air yards, which came on his first catch of the game off a go route. Besides that, it was a methodical approach led by the 2019 second-team All-Pro wide receiver to be efficient against a top-tier defense.
They targeted him often on shallow crosses and quick outs to keep the chains moving. Without being able to run the ball effectively, Dirk Koetter did what he could to avoid third-and-long situations by designing plays to get the ball to Jones early and often. That limited San Francisco’s ferocious pass rush to only two sacks and eight hits on 41 drop-backs.
Providing Ryan some much-needed relief with a well-structured game plan allowed Jones the platform to carry the offense like he’s proven he can do numerous times when necessary.
One Man Army
What was most impressive about this performance was how much punishment Jones took while receiving 20 targets. When catching several short to intermediate passes across the middle of the field, the hits accumulate over time. He took some vicious shots from Jimmie Ward, Marcell Harris, and D.J. Reed. That didn’t derail him from being ready to catch the next pass to keep the offense moving.
Jones was eventually isolated against Emmanuel Moseley, leading to his first touchdown on a quick out, where he showcased his excellent footwork and body control to make the catch. It had been nearly three months since he scored a touchdown that season, as he was in a strange phase of his career, struggling to receive targets in the red zone. There was no other reliable option for Ryan in this matchup, with Hooper well covered.
Jones scored multiple touchdowns in the red zone to make this performance even more gratifying. As the Falcons stayed within striking distance, they focused more on using Jones inside to create mismatches and high-percentage looks for Ryan.
A smooth 25-yard reception across the middle put them in a position to win. Facing a five-point deficit with five seconds left on third and goal, the Falcons had to find a way to get the ball to Jones with the game on the line. It was long overdue for him to get a signature moment in a grim season for the franchise.
Cherish It
Running behind Hooper to get space crossing underneath, Jones was there to receive the ball, needing one more yard after the catch to get into the end zone. Ryan placed the ball into his chest, not allowing Ward a chance to break up the pass. It worked to perfection. The game-winning touchdown proved to be one of his last memorable moments in Atlanta. They upset the best team in the NFC, after previously dominating their biggest rivals in New Orleans. Those wins showed what star power and belief can do for a flawed team at a crossroads.
Fans will point out that those wins set the franchise back a year, as Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff kept their jobs primarily because of it, only to get fired in October 2020. While it’s a valid point, this is still a great moment in Jones’ career. It demonstrated his ability to be productive in various ways as the primary focus on the helping the team win in challenging circumstances against an eventual Super Bowl team.
He was resilient, taking powerful hits and not getting frustrated by the lack of downfield opportunities. Doing whatever it takes to win is something he exemplified in his career. That was on display in his last dominant game as a Falcon, where he truly took over in an intense battle.
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Another memorable Monday night