Before Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has been dealing with three injuries to his foot -- two to a toe and one in the middle of the foot -- in recent weeks.
Those injuries kept Jones from practicing twice in the week leading up to the matchup with the Packers, but they weren’t any trouble at all during the game. Jones caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the win, including a 73-yarder that pretty much ended any remaining suspense a minute into the second half. The big day moved him into some rarified postseason air.
Jones joined Jerry Rice and Fred Biletnikoff as one of only three players in history to reach at least 180 receiving yards in more than one playoff game. Jones had 11 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the 49ers in the NFC title game four years ago.
“He never ceases to surprise us because he makes the extraordinary plays seem ordinary,” coach Dan Quinn said after the game. “That’s not a very typical thing to do. He’s a heckuva competitor.”
Jones said his foot felt OK after the game. He’ll get two weeks to keep it rested in hopes of adding to the rich playoff history he’s already assembled.