Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said earlier this week that wide receiver Julio Jones “certainly” has a chance to set the record for catches in a single season.
Jones would need 26 catches in the final two games to pass Marvin Harrison’s record of 143 catches, but the wideout says that he’s not spending any time thinking about the possibility.
“It’s not important to me now,” Jones said, via the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “My ultimate goal is to win games, whatever it takes to do that.”
If Jones is going to have a chance at Harrison’s mark, he’ll need to have a good day against the Panthers this Sunday. That game brings a matchup with Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, who has engaged in his weekly pregame verbal volleys with the Falcons in recent days. Jones said he’s thinking about Norman about as much as he’s thinking about the catch record.
“I do not think about a matchup going into a football game,” Jones said. “I’ve just got to go out there and play my style of football. Whether you know it or not, he doesn’t say much, you know? He might say stuff to other guys, but he really doesn’t say anything to me when I’m out there.”
If Jones has the louder game on Sunday, the Falcons could have a shot at ending the Panthers’ run at an undefeated season and brightening one that went dark for them a few weeks ago.
