One can't pick a single moment from the career of Julio Jones and define the dominance of the former Atlanta receiver. What Julio meant to Atlanta was the chance for a struggling franchise to have a chance to witness greatness. The Falcons are still seeking their first elusive Super Bowl win, but for a moment, the fanbase had a player to rally around. A receiver that consistently had an argument as not only the best at his position in the game, but among the best to ever do it at his position.
All told, Jones finishes his career as Atlanta's all-time leading receiver and has the 16th most receiving yards in NFL history. If forced to pick a single play that perfectly represented Jones as a teammate and game-changing player, one moment stands out.
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— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 5, 2025
December 27th, 2015, the Atlanta Falcons hosted the 15-0 Carolina Panthers in the middle of an unstoppable campaign. Cam Newton had an MVP season for the ages and had Carolina only two games away from having a chance to make history. Discussions of a perfect season had become very real for a Carolina team that simply looked to potentially be one of the best teams in league history.
Atlanta was still working to turn the page under new head coach Dan Quinn, hovering around .500 and clearly a year away from having any real hopes of contention. Still, the Falcons refused to fold, having fully bought into Quinn's philosophy, which we see working so well with a young Washington team. Atlanta played tough defensively and trailed 10-7 near the end of the third quarter.
Facing a 3rd-and-13 from their own thirty-yard line, the Falcons' offensive line began to break down. Matt Ryan rolled to his left and, as the former Atlanta legend so often did, threw an absolute dime, trusting Julio Jones to make a play in double coverage.
The defensive back fell, attempting to keep up with Julio as star linebacker Luke Kuechly undercut Jones, attempting to make a play on the ball. This was the wrong decision, with Jones leaping over the defender to make a picture-perfect catch and turn to sprint into the endzone, giving Atlanta a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
In a game that didn't matter for the Falcons, in a spot when Carolina had every reason to have their complete focus on Atlanta's one established weapon, Jones did what he always has, make a play. The down or score didn't matter Jones was going to give you everything he had in the tank and then some. The Atlanta legend deserves not only to be a future Hall-of-Famer but remains an unquestioned Atlanta legend.