Julio Jones did something Sunday only five receivers have done before
Six days after having to explain to reporters that he was not injured when he had just one catch in Monday’s victory against the Saints, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones had one of the healthiest games in NFL history.
Jones became the sixth receiver ever with 300 receiving yards in Sunday’s 48-33 victory against the Carolina Panthers. His 12 catches for 300 yards were only 36 yards shy of the NFL record set by Rams wideout Flipper Anderson in 1989. Behind Anderson is Calvin Johnson, 329 (Lions, 2013); Stephone Paige, 309 (Chiefs, 1985); Jim Benton, 303 (Rams, 1945) and Cloyce Box, 302 (Lions, 1950).
Jones had just one touchdown – a 75-yarder in the fourth quarter while the Panthers were trying to rally – but had a ridiculous 25-yard-per-catch average. His numbers helped pad the stats of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, whose career-high 503 passing yards were only 51 off the NFL record set by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. Ryan finished the game tied with Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers for 17th on the list of most passing yards in a single game.
