The Atlanta Falcons got the win over the Houston Texans on Sunday and for the first time all season, Julio Jones got little credit for it. The wide receiver had a quiet day for the team while Devonta Freeman led the way with three touchdowns. The receiver had been dealing with hamstring injuries that have lingered most of the season, but Jones downplayed the injuries saying the offense was simply going by what the defense showed.
According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, jones was only active on 55 percent of the snaps while recording just four catches for 38 yards. Part of that can be credited to the fact that head coach Dan Quinn pulled most of the starters in the fourth quarter while Leonard Hankerson and Roddy White got much more involved on the day. Jones might have looked human on Sunday, but most of his catches came on big third-down conversions that pushed the Falcons down the field.
"Obviously people are going to adjust to Julio with what he's done the first three weeks of the season," quarterback Matt Ryan said, via the team website. And there were some adjustments by their safeties playing over the top and kind of giving you looks to the other side forcing you to give looks to other guys. That opened up opportunities for other guys. I thought Leonard Hankerson did a great job today. I thought Roddy White did a great job today."
According to McClure, Jones said after the game that he did not care about not getting 100 yards because he was simply thrilled over the win. The chances this happens again for Jones are slim. Fans should be feeling good though as the Falcons proved they are more than just one receiver. White and Hankerson stepped up while Levine Toilolo looked good in place of Jacob Tamme who was still dealing with concussion issues.
The real star of the show has been Freeman who is thriving as the workhorse running back in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's system. Freeman is currently leading the league in touchdowns as the moment and his workload might not change even when Tevin Coleman returns. The rookie is out with a rib injury and while the Falcons wanted to split the carries between the two, Freeman is proving the team cannot take him off the field. With seven touchdowns in his last three games, Freeman is the running back star the Falcons have been looking to get for a long time.
"I feel good every day," Freeman said, via ESPN.com. "Football is a game to me. I just have fun out there and take advantage of my opportunities. But most importantly, I have fun with football. ... I love to go out there and fight for my brothers every day."