The Falcons won a third consecutive game for the first time this season with a 24-12 yawner over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Falcons jumped out early on the disinterested Jaguars and then assaulted the record books on their way to improving to 6-9 overall, 5-2 after the bye week.
The Falcons still are kicking themselves for the 1-7 start to the season that erased any hopes of making the playoffs.
“We can’t look forward,” Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones said. “We can’t look backward.”
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Here are the five things we learn from the victory:
1. Jones in record books. Jones had 10 catches for 166 yards. He surpassed 12,000 career receiving yards, becoming the fastest player in NFL history to do so by accomplishing the feat in 125 games.
Hall of Famer Jerry Rice previously held the record doing it in 142 games.
Jones needed 84 yards to record 1,400 receiving yards to extend his streak to six consecutive seasons, which would be the longest active streak in the league.
“It's pretty amazing for Julio, to be the fastest to ever get to 12,000 yards,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “I think it speaks to what kind of player he's been for his career. He's been unbelievable.”
Jones, who was targeted 15 times in the game, has the respect of his teammates.
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“There’s no better teammate, honestly,” Ryan said. “There's nobody that works harder day in and day out. He’s loyal. He’s a good leader for us, and I’m happy for him.
“He’s one of the best to ever do it in this sport and his production shows that. It was special to be a part of that and to be part of his career. I’m happy for him.”
2. Beasley on sack parade. The Falcons continued to move Vic Beasley around against the Jaguars. He rushed from left and right defensive end and also was spying quarterback Gardner Minshew on some plays.
He also had a sack, his fourth over the past three games to push his total to eight on the season.
“The use of the hands has improved,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
Beasley dropped Minshew for a 7-yard loss in the second quarter. He had a sack in the win over San Francisco and two sacks against Carolina.
“Just rushing,” Beasley said. “Just rushing man. Trying to keep my confidence (up) and just constantly going.”
Beasley had been mainly on the left side, but since the bye week, he has moved all over the defense.
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“Just working at it in practice,” Beasley said. “Getting familiar with that side of the ball. It’s not a big deal. As edge rushers, you have to flexible and versatile to be able to go from one side to the other.”
Beasley agrees that he’s been using his hands better.
“It has been a big emphasis,” Beasley said. “We have been working on different types of moves like the side-scissors week-in and week-out. It’s been working for me a lot out on the field.”
In addition to the sack, Beasley finished with three tackles, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit against the Jaguars. He doesn’t mind moving around.
“You just have to know your assignment, whether if you are on the left side or the right said,” Beasley said. “Some guys do certain moves on one side. That’s true for me too. I always do certain moves on my left side. On the right side, I have a different arsenal of moves. Just knowing what side that you’re on and the situation that you are in.”
Credit: Curtis Compton
Credit: Curtis Compton
3. Field position was key. Gunner Brian Hill downed Ryan Allen's punt on the 1-yard line in the second quarter and then downed another on the 2-yard line in the third quarter.
“Putting two punts inside the 2-yard line is a big deal,” Quinn said.
Hill has been working on down punts in practice.
“They told me that I was going to be the pooch-punt gunner this week so I’ve just been practicing flipping (around) at the 2-yard line and finding the ball,” Hill said. “It turned out to be good for us today.”
The Falcons wanted to make Jacksonville rookie quarterback Minshew sustain drives.
“We knew field position against this team was going to be critical,” Quinn said. “They've got an excellent punter, excellent kicker, a good returner, so to have some drives where they start inside their own 2-yard line, that was big.”
Credit: Curtis Compton
Credit: Curtis Compton
4. Ground attack: The Falcons rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries. It was just the fourth time this season the Falcons rushed for more than 100 yards.
The Falcons are 3-1 in games when the rush for more than 100 yards.
They rushed for 103 yards in a loss to Arizona on Oct. 13. They rushed for 143 yards in the 26-9 win over the Saints on Nov. 10. The Falcons had a season-high 159 yards in the win over the Panthers on Dec. 8.
Brian Hill rushed seven times for 66 yards, while Devonta Freeman rushed for 53 yards on 13 carries.
“We felt like we saw some creases on film and we just wanted to attack them aggressively whenever that we saw on film,” Hill said.
The rushing attack provided some balance.
"It's hard to stop us when we are able to run the ball and pass the ball," Hill said. "We've got (Jones) outside, so they have to give him a lot of attention. When other people make plays, we are a great team."
5. Cominsky gets some action. Rookie defensive end John Cominsky saw his first action after being inactive for the past six games.
“He was definitely ready to go get rocking,” Quinn said.
He finished with a tackle, a quarterback hit and a half sack.
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