Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds vs. Panthers in Week 11

Stud: Julio Jones

Julio Jones has played a large role within the Atlanta offense throughout really his entire career and once again has been the case in the 2019 campaign up to this point while providing quarterback Matt Ryan with a reliable target on the outside of the field within the passing game.

In the win on Sunday afternoon, Jones hauled in a total of 91 yards receiving on six catches and eight targets. While recording a game-long reception of 48 yards, Jones was ultimately held out of the endzone in the contest.

Jones will continue to be a key piece within the Falcons offense moving forward, especially while tight end Austin Hooper continues to recover from a knee injury and is able to return to the field for Atlanta.

Dud: Containing Christian McCaffrey

Another dud that occurred throughout the course of the game in Carolina in Week 11 of the regular season was the Falcons’ inability to contain Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey. On the ground, Atlanta was able to hold McCaffrey out of the endzone, which is a tough feat to accomplish, but he did manage to rush for a total of 70 yards on 14 carries nonetheless.

But in the passing game, that’s where McCaffrey hurt the Falcons the most throughout the matchup. The running back led all Carolina receivers with 11 catches on 14 targets, finishing with a team-best 121 yards receiving through the air.

The fact that Atlanta was able to hold McCaffrey and the Panthers out of the endzone throughout the game is a positive, but the Falcons need to work on trying to contain the opposition’s top performer moving forward while they try to continue to ride this winning streak.