Julio Jones Making Case as NFL's Top Receiver After Huge 'MNF' Performance

Move over, Megatron. The Falcons' Julio Jones blew right by you as the NFL's top wide receiver as if he was being covered by the Green Bay Packers secondary. 

When the spotlight of a nationally televised game is on like it was during Monday Night Football, the league's best players typically rise to the occasion. Jones did so Monday and cemented his status as one of the NFL's truly elite performers. 

The Packers simply couldn't stop the Falcons' fourth-year receiver. Jones was a human highlight reel with 11 receptions for 259 yards during Atlanta's 43-37 loss. 

While watching Jones, it was apparent he is the complete package. The Alabama product lined up wide and in the slot. He made multiple catches from both alignments. He worked over the middle. He beat the Packers deep. He was able to make receptions against man coverage and plucked a few balls out of the air when Green Bay decided on the rare occasion to provide safety help over the top. 

Teammate Harry Douglas marveled at Jones' performance and told AtlantaFalcons.com's Jay Adams that he expects his running mate at wide receiver to play at an even higher level in the coming weeks:

"

Julio each week is getting better and better. He’s the dominant force that we all knew he would be, and he’s showing why we took him in the draft when we took him. I’ve got 100 percent faith in Julio. He’s a gamer. He’s a baller. Whenever you can see a person you’re close to like that progress each year and each week, it’s a blessing.

"

It was a complete performance that required multiple record books to be updated. 

First, Jones' effort was the best single-game performance in Falcons history. Second, Jones is now the NFL's leading receiver this season with 1,428 yards, which the team announced is another franchise record:

Both numbers bested Roddy White's previous records. 

Not only did the Falcons have to scribble new notes into the books but so did the Packers. In Green Bay's long and storied history, they have never allowed more receiving yards in a game than Jones' 259 on Monday night, according to ESPN Stats & Info: 

Whose record did Jones trump? Calvin Johnson's. 

This wasn't a standalone performance either. Over the last two games, Jones has caught 21 passes for 448 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Last week's effort was particularly impressive, as Jones gained 189 yards against arguably the NFL's top cornerback, Arizona's Patrick Peterson. 

Since the Packers aren't as talented in the secondary as the Arizona Cardinals, Jones decided to up the ante and gain 70 more yards this week.

Now...about that thing of becoming the NFL's No. 1 wide receiver.

Certainly, Johnson would beg to differ, and his 304 receiving yards over the last two weeks have been impressive as well. However, a quick look at the current rosters and situations both receivers are currently placed in gives Jones the edge as the NFL's top receiver. 

Johnson's surrounding cast is simply better and gives him more room to operate. 

While the receivers' two quarterbacks, the Falcons' Matt Ryan and the Lions' Matthew Stafford, can be considered a wash, the rest of the Lions' offense is superior to the Falcons'. 

Opposite Johnson is another 1,000-yard wide receiver in Golden Tate. The Falcons' next three receivers have less yards combined than Jones does by himself. 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Also, the Falcons' offensive line has been in flux all season. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Ryan is the NFL's eighth-most pressured quarterback and has been under duress during 35.6 percent of his drops entering Monday night's contest. Stafford is 17th on that list. 

There were times Monday when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had enough time in the pocket to do the discount double-check, a B.J. Raji dance and even watch a Clay Matthews Fathead commercial. Ryan, meanwhile, was pressured throughout the contest and had to deal with yet another change along the offensive line when Gabe Carimi replaced right guard Jon Asamoah due to a back injury. 

The Falcons' top target is simply producing at a higher level than Johnson while being asked to carry his team. 

Johnson also has an edge over most other wide receivers due to his intimidating physical presence. The Georgia Tech product is a towering 6'5" and 236 pounds with 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed. 

Jones is one of a handful of receivers in the NFL who can provide the same presence for his team. At 6'3" and 220 pounds with 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed, the Falcons' No. 1 wide receiver is also a major headache for any defense to cover. 

Take it from a talented young cornerback, the Buccaneers' Johnthan Banks, who had to cover both of these targets this season: 

The one bugaboo during Jones' career that has prevented him from reaching elite status is an inability to stay healthy. Monday night wasn't any different. As the Falcons attempted a comeback, the superstar receiver came up lame near the end zone during a fourth-quarter drive. It was ruled a hip injury by the team, and he didn't return. 

Jones has played in all 16 games in a season just once, in 2012, missing three games as a rookie and 11 games last year. That trend may continue due to a short week for the receiver while trying to recover for the Falcons game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. 

If this burgeoning superstar can fight through the discomfort, he could feast on three of the NFL's worst secondaries in the coming weeks and continue his upward trend.

The Steelers, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers have struggled all season to slow opposing passing attacks. None of them will present a top-notch cover-corner. Only poor health should prevent Jones from leading the NFL in receiving this season. And it should be a wide margin if he gets to play in all three of the team's final games. 

"When Julio is healthy and when he and Matt (Ryan) are in tune with one another they are as good as any in the NFL," Falcons head coach Mike Smith said after the game, via the team's website. "He is as good as anyone in the NFL. He is hard to cover, he has great speed, and he has great hands. He is an elite wide receiver. He is one of the best, if not the best in the NFL."

Jones always had the physical ability to develop into the NFL's top wide receiver. It's the reason why the Falcons traded a bushel of picks to the Cleveland Browns to select him with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft. Jones is now fully realizing that potential and developing into the NFL's best wide receiver. 

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics were taken from NFL.com or ProFootballReference.com. Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.