Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds vs. Buccaneers in Week 12

Stud: Julio Jones

For the majority of the year, Julio Jones has been just about as consistent and reliable as Atlanta could have hoped he would be, leading the way for the Falcons wide receiving group nearly every single week.

On Sunday, he once again was a reliable option for quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons through the air, being targeted often throughout the course of the matchup against the Buccaneers.

Jones tallied a total of five catches on nine overall targets to finish the game with 68 yards receiving. While being held out of the endzone and without a touchdown reception, Jones recorded a game-long reception of 31 yards in the loss. Now it’s time for another player to step up alongside him to help the star wide receiver and the passing game out.

Dud: Rushing attack

While Devonta Freeman has been trying to recover from an injury that has limited his playing time over the course of the last few weeks, that injury has clearly impacted and hurt the Falcons’ rushing attack and what they are able to do on the ground against opponents.

In Week 12 back at home, that was once again the case for Atlanta. The Falcons finished the game with a total of just 57 yards rushing, led by Qadree Ollison with 20 yards rushing and one touchdown on eight total carries. Calvin Ridley added one rush for 15 yards, Brian Hill had nine carries for 14 yards and Matt Ryan had one carry for eight yards for the Falcons.

In order for Atlanta to be able to have a dual-threat offense, it is going to need to find its rushing attack once again in the upcoming weeks to help balance things out on the offensive end of the ball.