Bama Central

Julio Jones is the BamaCentral Pro Athlete of the Week

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones reached another major NFL milestone while helping lead a 24-12 victory over Jacksonville

Christopher Walsh

T.G. Paschal/Bama Central

Another week, another milestone for former University of Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones. 

Jones had 10 receptions for 166 yards in the Atlanta Falcons' 24-12 win over Jacksonville.

Appearing in his 125th career game, Jones has 12,047 career receiving yards and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (142 games) as the fastest player to reach 12,000 career receiving yards in NFL history. 

“It’s a great achievement but it’s for my teammates,” Jones said about becoming the 27th player in NFL history to reach 12,000 (per AtlantaFalcons.com). “Dirk has been doing a great job this year putting me in the right positions and try to exploit the defenses. Matt has been throwing great balls to me. Offensive line has been doing a great job. Running backs in pass protection, allowing me to just be me. My accomplishments and everything is to the team.”

Nevertheless, Jones is the BamaCentral Pro Athlete of the Week for Dec. 16-22. 

Jones registered his 15th career game with at least 150 receiving yards and joined Rice (30 games), Lance Alworth (17), Terrell Owens (17), Don Maynard (15) and Calvin Johnson (15) as the only players with at least 15.

It was his 55th career game with at least 100 yards receiving, the fourth-most all time and tops all active players. 

Per ESPN States and info, it's the sixth straight year he's reached 1,200 yards in a season, tying him with Antonio Brown, Torry Holt and Randy Moss for the second-longest streak in NFL history. Rice did it in nine straight.

Overall, Jones has 92 receptions for 1,316 yards and six touchdowns this season. 

Also considered

• Kenyan Drake had a season-high 166 rushing yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals against Seattle. His 80-yard score was the longest of his career.  

• Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram II became the third former Alabama running back to top 1,000 rushing yards this season. 

• Collin Sexton scored 25 at Toronto and 23 against Charlotte for the Cleveland Cavaliers, which have won three straight games. 

• Landon Collins had six tackles including one for a loss, a forced fumble and a pass defended.

Pro Athlete of the Week

Nov. 25-Dec. 1: Derrick Henry

Dec. 2-8: Kareem Jackson

Dec. 9-15: Kenyan Drake/Julio Jones

Dec. 16-22: Julio Jones 

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

Home/All Things Bama