Monster receiving numbers for Julio Jones aren’t good for the Falcons

Big numbers for Julio Jones don’t equal success for the Atlanta Falcons.

We all know Julio Jones is the best receiver in the game. He is the flashiest nor is he the loudest, but he is by far the most talented at the position. Matter of fact, Julio is the antithesis of both flashy and loud.

Julio’s 2019 season was a down season when compared to his play over the last six seasons. Coming into 2019, Julio was the only receiver in NFL history to have five consecutive 1,400-yard seasons. While he fell just six yards shy of his sixth straight 1,400-yard season, he did become the only receiver in NFL history to have six straight seasons of at least 1,350 yards.

Among all the expectations that the Falcons have for 2020, Julio Jones had a monster season like he did in 2015 or 2018 should not be among them.

Big stats for Julio Jones don’t equal team success

When looking at Julio’s numbers, when he puts up big numbers, the Falcons miss the playoffs. In the four years that the Falcons have made the playoffs since drafting Julio, he has accumulated less than 1,500-yards receiving.

Matter of fact, the only year that they missed the playoffs when he had less than 1,500 yards was last year in 2019. Just look at the Falcons win/loss record in comparison to Julio’s stats.

When Julio has less than 1,500 receiving yards, the Falcons are a combined 51-29 and have made the playoffs four of those five seasons. Of course, we are not counting 2013 when he played just five games.

Conversely, when Julio Jones has more than 1,500 yards receiving in a season the Falcons have never made the playoffs and have a combined record of 21-27.

Matt Ryan is at his best when he is spreading the ball around and getting everyone involved. Sure, we would all like to see Julio more involved in red zone opportunities that see him score more often, but at the end of the day, if the Falcons go 11-5 and make the playoffs that is what ultimately matters most.