Atlanta Falcons

Julio Jones dominated his way to a bit of history against the Packers

Published Jan. 22, 2017 6:48 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

Julio Jones didn’t finish the year as the NFL’s leading receiver, falling just 39 yards shy of that mark to T.Y. Hilton. Had he not missed two games late in the year, though, he would have claimed that crown for the second year in a row.

That’s all moot now, though, considering the Falcons are going to the Super Bowl. And unsurprisingly, Jones played a huge role in that.

On Sunday against the Packers, Jones turned in one of his finest performances yet. He caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Falcons to a 44-21 win over the Packers.

Jones didn’t just win with his speed in this one, either. As he typically does, he won in a variety of ways. His first of many highlights came just before halftime when he hauled in this toe-tapping touchdown.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/823272834814255104

On the Falcons’ next possession after the half, Jones bullied two Packers cornerbacks en route to a 73-yard touchdown – his second score of the game.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/823282571135942656

He didn’t stop there. A little later, Jones made a ridiculous catch, elevating over Packers defenders to somehow haul it in.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/823294271985856512

Jones finished the game two yards shy of his own franchise postseason record of 182 yards, which he had in 2012 against the 49ers. While he also fell 12 yards short of Michael Irvin's conference championship record of 192 yards, he did make a bit of history.

He became the first player in the Super Bowl era with two games of 150 yards and two touchdowns in conference title games.

https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/823295239158951941

In two NFC Championship games, Jones now has 19 catches for 362 yards and four touchdowns. He's undoubtedly proved to be one of the best receivers in the game, if not the best, and this latest performance is another example of that.