Julio Jones will be second on the Falcons all-time receptions list after next Sunday

One reception. That’s all Julio Jones needs in this coming Sunday’s game to pass Terance Mathis on the franchise’s all-time rankings for receptions, because currently both are tied with 573 catches.

Julio really only needs to be healthy for 2-3 more seasons, depending on how great those seasons are, before he’ll catch Roddy White in terms of both receptions and yardage. Roddy retired as the all-time record holder in both categories, and while Julio has a ways to go to catch him in touchdowns, he’s not at all far away from either of the other marks. He already owns the #2 spot in yardage, but getting receptions too in the last week of his seventh season (and not his seventh complete season) would be a nice feather in his cap.

It has been a bit of an up-and-down year for Julio, who has an unusual number of drops and who still hasn’t scored the gobs of touchdowns Steve Sarkisian appeared to promise us over the summer. Those issues aside, though, he has been generally stellar and is fresh off a game where he put up nearly 150 yards against a resurgent Saints secondary, so it would surprise absolutely no one if #11 blows right by Mathis en route to a great game against Carolina, and frankly, the Falcons might need him to in order to win.