The Falcoholic
The most productive season in Jones’ illustrious career was capped off by stopping the Panthers from going undefeated with one of his most iconic catches.
Facing the Carolina Panthers was always an eventful experience for Julio Jones. While he was on the receiving end of some one-sided blowouts due to Carolina’s success from 2013 to 2015, some of his best career moments came against the division rival. One of them occurred during Carolina’s peak in 2015. The other transpired the very next season.
After starting his career with a stat line of three receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers in a pivotal win in 2011, Jones didn’t have a notable game against them from 2012 to 2014. Some of it can be attributed to injury. The other primary reason stems from Carolina being the superior team, which limited Jones.
That was evident in the first meeting in 2015, when the Panthers shut out the Falcons in a 38-0 demolition. It became a party on the Carolina sideline at one point with players dabbing everywhere (remember those days?). Ra’Shede Hageman pushed Bryan Cox during the humiliating defeat to make matters worse. In a season that had already unraveled after a 5-0 start, Dan Quinn’s first season as head coach hit its biggest low against a division rival.
Jones was still on pace to be the most prolific receiver in the league, but the feeling of not making the playoffs for the third consecutive season was discouraging. All he could do was continue being the best at his position in the process of trying to beat the best teams. The Panthers were 14-0 entering the Georgia Dome with aspirations of going undefeated.
After annihilating the Falcons two weeks prior, they had all the confidence to continue their astonishing season. It was time for Jones to crush those dreams and help inject much-needed spirit into a fading team, especially Matt Ryan, who was having the worst season in his career.
As the 2015 season went on, the Falcons’ offense was heavily reliant on Jones and Devonta Freeman. Father Time had arrived for Roddy White. Leonard Hankerson had fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. As reliable as Jacob Tamme was as a secondary option, he couldn’t be counted on as a primary receiving option. It was bizarre for Kyle Shanahan’s offense to be so constricted in its operation, led by a franchise quarterback who initially struggled to acclimate to his system.
They managed to work with what they had with a methodical game plan in this matchup. A 16-play, 80-yard touchdown drive response to Carolina’s opening touchdown drive set the tone for what was going to be an intense rematch. Jones had a few catches off comebacks and quick slants early on. Everything picked up in the second half, which included moments against Josh Norman, who was at his peak in 2015.
The matchup wasn’t as anticipated because Carolina played far more zone than man...
