It's safe to assume that this season hasn't gone according to plan for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons will host the Seattle Seahawks with a 1-6 record in Week 8. For the Falcons to upset the Seahawks, they are going to need a massive performance from Julio Jones.
Following last week's game against the Los Angeles Rams, Jones interrupted Dan Quinn's postgame speech to deliver his own message to the team. The veteran receiver preached to the team to take accountability and that the blame for their struggles shouldn't be on Quinn.
Throughout his career, Jones has always been a reserved player who rarely vocalizes what he has to say. Therefore, when he actually speaks, it's best that the players on the Falcons listen. However, it remains to be seen if his teammates took his message to heart.
With that being said, you can guarantee that Jones will be coming into this game with some extra motivation. Even though, Jones' success on Sunday could depend on who is starting under center.
During last week's game versus the Rams, Matt Ryan exited to the locker room in the second half with an ankle injury. Just a day later, it was discovered that he sprained his ankle. After logging a limited practice on Friday, Ryan is listed as a game-time decision in Week 8.
In the event that Ryan is forced to be on the sideline, Matt Schaub would become the starting quarterback in the offense. Regardless of who is under center, their best bet to beating Seattle is to get the ball into Jones' hands. It's not rocket science.
This season, Jones has caught 40 passes for 560 yards and four touchdowns. The 30-year-old wide receiver is ninth in the NFL in receiving yards despite the shortcomings of Atlanta's offense.
Last week against the Rams, Jones corraled six receptions for 93 yards in the team's 37-10 loss. Albeit, the All-Pro receiver got three receptions for 69 yards against Jalen Ramsey, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL.
Luckily for Jones, he won't be facing an All-Pro cornerback in Week 8. When the game kicks off on Sunday, it's likely that Tre Flowers and Shaquill Griffin will share the responsibility of keeping up with the Falcons standout wide receiver.
The Seahawks pass defense has improved over the course of the season but they still aren't a top-tier group in the NFL. Currently, Seattle boasts the 19th ranked pass defense, allowing 249 yards per game.
Nevertheless, Jones is going to have to have one of his memorable performances for the Falcons to have a chance.
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