ATLANTA -- Velus Jones Jr. spent the last two Sundays standing on the sidelines in street clothes while the Bears suffered close losses to the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions.
The rookie wide receiver worked to elevate his game in practice and returned to the active game-day roster Sunday in the Bears' 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jones played just eight snaps on offense and 12 on specials teams. But he did provide a quick spark, taking the first kickoff of the day back 55 yards to set the Bears' offense up with a short field on their opening drive.
"I have all the confidence in the world in myself," Jones said after the game. "I'm special with the ball in my hands, and I know that. I never forgot that. No matter what people say.
"I always live by, I don't have to prove nothing to anybody but myself," Jones said. "I know who I am. I know how special I was since a kid with the ball in my hands. That hasn't changed with all the adversity this season, from being a healthy scratch these past two weeks. When your number is called, make a play. That's in the past. There's nothing I can do about it. Just keep moving forward."
Jones gave the Bears a spark in the return game, but he was outdone by Falcons all-world returner Cordarrelle Patterson, who took a kickoff back 103 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Patterson's touchdown return swung the momentum of the game and gave him an NFL record nine return touchdowns.
Jones and Patterson both played football at Tennessee in college. Jones' 1,720 all-purpose yards during his senior season at Tennessee were just 138 yards shy of Patterson's school record of 1,853 set in 2012.
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"Little does he know I was 120-something yards from breaking his all-purpose record at Tennessee,’’ Jones said. ‘‘I was second at Tennessee. He was first, but I definitely should have beaten him. I should be sitting on that throne. But it’s all good. It’s better this way."
The Bears rookie doesn't know Patterson personally, but the two direct messaged in the pre-draft process. Jones plans to pick the legendary return man's brain this offseason to improve his craft.
"For sure," Jones said about trying to work with Patterson in the offseason. "We both Vols. He's a great guy. Like to share knowledge and stuff like that. I definitely told him I need his jersey. That's priceless. The playmaker he is, the ability, and being so good in the return game with the ball in his hands, that's what kept him around for a while."
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Jones was happy to contribute Sunday in Atlanta. He hopes it's the start of a strong finish to his rookie season, one that will hopefully propel him into offseason work with one of the greatest returners in NFL history.
Here's the snap count from the Bears' Week 11 loss to the Falcons:
Quarterback: Justin Fields 69
Running backs: David Montgomery 55, Trestan Ebner 15, Khari Blasingame 11, Darrynton Evans 2
Wide receivers: Darnell Mooney 56, Equanimeous St. Brown 50, Chase Claypool 29, Dante Pettis 18, Byron Pringle 14, Velus Jones Jr. 8
Tight ends: Cole Kmet 63, Trevon Wesco 16, Ryan Griffin 8
Offensive line: Braxton Jones 69, Cody Whitehair 69, Sam Mustipher 69, Riley Reiff 69, Michael Schofield 69
Defensive line: Dominique Robinson 49, Justin Jones 46, Trevis Gipson 35, Armon Watts 31, Al-Quadin Muhammad 26, Mike Pennel 18, Angelo Blackson 9, Taco Charlton 6
Linebackers: Nicholas Morrow 55, Jack Sanborn 52, Matt Adams 16, Joe Thomas 12
Defensive backs: Eddie Jackson 55, Jaylon Johnson 55, Jaquan Brisker 53, Kyler Gordon 39, Kindle Vildor 33, Jaylon Jones 10, DeAndre Houston-Carson 5
Special teams: Houston-Carson 21, Adams 19, Thomas 19, Josh Blackwell 18, Sterling Weatherford 18, Jaylon Jones 16, Griffin 14, Velus Jones 12, Elijah Hicks 12, Blasingame 11, Trenton Gill 10, Cairo Santos 9, Patrick Scales 9, Robinson 7, Pringle 6, Evans 6, Morrow 6, Brisker 6, Justin Jones 6, Gipson 6, Larry Borom 5, Dieter Eiselen 5, Blackson 5, Sanborn 5, Jackson 5, Wesco 5, Kmet 5, Braxton Jones 5, Reiff 5, Schofield 5, Whitehair 5, Gordon 4, Pettis 3, Charlton 2, Vildor 1, Jaylon Johnson 1