Jones clowns overmatched Panthers secondary in monstrous 1st half
Julio Jones is going off and there is nothing the Carolina Panthers can do to stop him.
The Panthers are widely recognized as having one of the NFL's best defenses, but the Atlanta Falcons clearly feel their NFC South rivals have an exploitable weakness in the secondary.
Matt Ryan has dialed up deep pass after deep pass to Jones - who only caught one pass for 16 yards in a bizarrely quiet Week 3 - and the result has been a bonanza.
At halftime, Jones has seven catches for 170 yards. That puts him just ahead of all-time record pace (336 yards, Flipper Anderson, 1989).
The Panthers let star cornerback Josh Norman walk as a free agent this season rather than give him a huge contract, a clear sign the team believes its young secondary can be effective provided the front seven gets pressure.
So far, James Bradberry, Bene Benwikere, and company have left more than a little to be desired.
Head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman could be rethinking their defensive strategy today.