Julio Jones Becomes 6th Receiver with 300-Yard Game

When Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones streaked down the sideline and into the end zone in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 48-33 victory over the Carolina Panthers, he became just the sixth player in NFL history to reach 300 receiving yards in a single game, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Jones finished the day with 300 yards on the nose, but the catch-and-run served as the icing on the cake and essentially put the game out of reach for the Panthers, helping to give Atlanta a 41-26 lead with 3:45 remaining. 

Some concerns about Jones arose when the star wideout hauled in just one pass on seven targets in Week 3 against a Saints defense regarded as one of the worst in the league. However, Jones was quick to put his critics to bed on Sunday with 12 catches on 15 targets for those 300 yards, adding a touchdown for good measure.

In addition to Jones' feat, Matt Ryan's 503 passing yards in the contest positioned the duo as the first to ever have 500 passing yards and 300 receiving yards in the same game, per the Elias Sports Bureau (h/t ESPN Stats & Info).

Not only did the Falcons manage to move their record to 3-1 on the campaign, but they also managed to knock off a division rival that many—including WhatIfSports (h/t FoxSports.com)—believed to be the favorite to win the NFC South.

Atlanta holds a two-game advantage over all three (Saints, Buccaneers, Panthers) of their division opponents, who all sit at 1-3.

The success of the Falcons frequently is tied to the effectiveness of Jones, and he's effective quite frequently. The 6'3", 220-pound receiver has averaged the most receiving yards per game (96.9) in NFL history thus far in his career, outpacing his next closest challenger (Calvin Johnson at 86.1) by more than 10 yards per game.

Health issues have been his biggest drawback to this point in his career, but if Jones can stay on the field, the Hall of Fame could be calling his name in the future.