Julio Jones became just the sixth player in NFL history to produce a game with at least 300 receiving yards on Sunday, but stats don’t do much for the Atlanta Falcons’ star receiver.
“To me, they’re just numbers. Stats,” Jones said, via Peter King of MMQB. “I went out and did what my team needed me to do today for us to win. Just like Matt did, just like the line did all day. I’m no different.”
The Falcons got more than what they needed from Jones Sunday.
Held to just one catch last week, Jones exploded for seven catches and 170 yards in just the first half against the Panthers. He caught passes on Atlanta’s first three plays from scrimmage (which helped set up a touchdowns), and his 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the fourth quarter all but completed the Falcons’ win over the reigning NFC South champions.
The final stat line: 12 catches, 300 yards, one touchdown.
Jones and Calvin Johnson are now the only receivers to produce a game with 300 receiving yards since 1990.
The Falcons are flying high at 3-1, which is more important to Jones—who represents the stoic counterpart to a position filled with divas.
“I’m very pleased,” Jones said. “All I can do is go out and play 100 percent and let my production speak. But in this game, you rely so much on everyone else. We had a good team game today.”
Through four games, Jones has 22 receptions for 488 yards. He’s averaging 22.2 yards per catch, and he’s currently on pace for an NFL-high 1,952 receiving yards. Jones led the league with 136 catches and 1,871 yards in 2015.
They’re just numbers, but they’re damn good numbers. Even for Jones.
