Falcons wideout Julio Jones made 104 catches last season while setting a team record and pacing the NFC with 1,053 receiving yards. He was not satisfied.
Jones was targeted 15 times and pulled in 13 passes, tying the team record set by former tight end Tony Gonzalez on Oct. 7, 2012, in his team’s dramatic 24-20 come-from-behind victory against the New York Giants on Sunday. He was not satisfied.
“I think I did OK,” he said. “I wish I could have caught all 15, but it happens.”
As high a level as Jones attained in 2014, his nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 26-24 decision over Philadelphia in the opener and now his heroics at MetLife Stadium suggest he continues to climb.
“Every year I challenge myself to get better. You can’t settle,” he said. “I try to get better, get wiser. Everybody says it, but it’s true. You’ve got to go out and challenge yourself.”
Jones could not have been more clutch than he was against the Giants. With the Falcons having rallied from a 20-10 deficit but still trailing 20-17 with 1:53 left, quarterback Matt Ryan looked for Jones, who was streaking down the left sideline. Jones gained the step he needed on cornerback Prince Amukamara. Ryan placed the ball exactly where it needed to be.
The play was initially ruled a touchdown, but a review showed that Jones was down at the Giants’ 1-yard line. No matter. Two plays later, Devonta Freeman plunged in for the winning score.
It meant something to Jones to tie Gonzalez’s mark only because he has such immense respect for Gonzalez. “I was here with Tony. He was a phenomenal player, an incredible person, unbelievable all the way around,” he said.
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