Three weeks into the season, Julio Jones is on an unprecedented pace.
The Falcons’ wide receiver had another routine game — for him — with 12 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s victory at Dallas. That gives him 34 receptions, the most ever by an NFL receiver in his first three games.
The previous mark of 31 was shared by the Jets’ Clark Gaines (1980) and New England’s Troy Brown (2002) and Wes Welker (2011).
“All the plays he makes, it just feels normal to him,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “It’s not for us, that’s for sure. … He’s just a really unique guy in terms of the way he competes. He’s used to those kinds of plays and he has all the confidence in the world in that.”
Jones got his usual huge numbers despite a slow start. At halftime, he had been targeted eight times but managed only three catches for 27 yards.
But in the second half, the coaches moved him around in the formation, lining him up on both sides in the slot and even as the tailback in an I-formation, creating favorable matchups – notably with Cowboys slot cornerback Tyler Patmon. Jones torched Patmon on a deep slant for a 45-yard TD.
“If I drop a ball or something, keep throwing it,” Jones said. “Nine times out of 10, I’m going to make it right before I do something wrong.”
Jones said offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan had noticed on film that Patmon likes to shade his coverage to the outside. The long touchdown was a play that made it look as if Jones would go outside — until he didn’t.
“Kyle, man, he’s a genius,” Jones said. “He draws it up and we go execute. … Kyle drew it up like he’s going to play outside. He played me outside. I crossed his face and that was it.
“Kyle did a great job of moving me around in the second half, putting me inside. They didn’t have an answer for it.”
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