Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds from Week 8 vs. Panthers
Stud: Julio Jones
The first stud was the fact that Falcons stud wide receiver Julio Jones went off in the passing attack to help lead Atlanta’s offense en route to a win on the road. After an early-game exit of Calvin Ridley with an injury, Jones stepped up to lead the receiving group in the contest. As a team, Atlanta finished with 281 yards receiving through the air in Week 8.
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Specifically for Jones, he went off for a game-best seven catches on 10 targets, hauling in an eye-popping total of 137 yards in the passing game. He was held out of the endzone in the game but managed to average 19.6 yards per catch.
Jones needs to continue to step up in the Falcons passing game, and now Atlanta just needs to work on getting Ridley back to being healthy to line up on the other side of the field.
Dud: Calvin Ridley’s early exit
As mentioned, Ridley ended up exiting the game early for the Falcons after starting the contest in Carolina at a nice pace in the opening half.
The wide receiver exited the game against the Panthers with an ankle injury that held him out of the remainder of the contest, although that injury is reportedly not believed to be serious, which is great news for Ridley and the Falcons.
Before his exit, Ridley continued his strong start to the 2020 campaign for Atlanta, hauling in three early receptions for 42 yards. Jones ended up picking up the pace in the passing game, but now another receiver is dealing with injury issues in Atlanta.