FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Most of the time, Julio Jones looks superhuman. But even an athlete of his caliber needs a rest once in a while -- just maybe not as much this Sunday.
The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver has to be his typical, explosive self to help his 9-6 team secure a playoff spot with a victory over visiting Carolina. For Jones to make such an impact, the Falcons might want to closely evaluate when he rotates out of the game.
The rotation, which hasn't caused major issues on a weekly basis, came under the microscope last Sunday, when the Falcons dropped a 23-13 decision at New Orleans. Late in the second quarter, Jones was out of the game in favor of inexperienced and undrafted Marvin Hall on a third-and-10 play. Matt Ryan's pass went to Hall, who couldn't come up with a catch, leading to the now infamous "butt pick" by Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian admitted that the play would have gone to Jones had he been in the game. Jones' absence drew the ire of some fans, who wondered why the team's best player wasn't on the field in such a situation. But none of it would have been an issue had Hall made the play.
Jones explained matters from his vantage point.
"It's just really gauging it: Anybody, whoever goes deep or long, you come out the game," Jones told ESPN. "And I'm that guy on the team that takes the deep routes. That's it. That's why I come out. If I have to take a deep route -- we believe in everybody who can play -- take a deep route, come out, next man up."
Jones ran three routes -- an inside fade on first down and two out routes -- before the third-down play, and critics would argue those weren't that deep. The 28-year-old entered the Saints game battling both ankle and thumb injuries, so one has to wonder if those injuries played into Jones' decision to exit at that moment.
"I don't care," Jones said when pressed on the timing, considering the third-down situation. "Take a deep route, come out. That's it."
If the injuries factored into the decision, Jones wouldn't say. He'll never reveal how much he might be hurting. That's his warrior mentality.
But Jones insisted that the weekly rotation, in general, has nothing to do with managing his health, despite his history of being dinged up.
"Nah, nah, nah, ain't no managing or nothing like that," he said. "You just take a deep route, come out, next man in."
Regardless of what happened last week, it's all about how the Falcons and Jones handle matters this week with the playoffs on the line. Jones has played 680 snaps through 15 games, an average of 45.3 per game. His career average is 52.9 snaps, and he averaged 48.0 in 14 games last season.
He has played 88 percent of the snaps or more in three games this season, and one of those was the Week 16 loss to the Saints, so no one can really complain about Jones taking too many plays off. The other two games of 88-plus percent were a Week 7 loss at New England and a Week 8 victory over the New York Jets.
One has to consider all the factors when dissecting why Jones isn't on the field, including if it's an obvious run play on which his blocking isn't so much needed, if he sprinted 50 yards on the previous play and is winded, if it's late and the game is already decided, if an injury is too much to push through, or if the flow of the game dictates that the coaches preserve Jones' energy. But again, the Falcons will need him as much as possible in Sunday's crucial game, particularly in the red zone and on third down.
Jones stands third in the NFL with 1,364 yards on 83 catches and could finish atop the league with 170 yards against the Panthers. Leader Antonio Brown, with 1,533 yards, won't play in Pittsburgh's regular-season finale due to injury. The same goes for Houston's DeAndre Hopkins, who is second with 1,378 yards.
Jones also has a chance to finish with 1,400 receiving yards for the fourth consecutive season. That would tie Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison for the longest such streak in NFL history, according to NFL Stats & Information. Don't forget: Jones set a career high with 300 receiving yards when the Falcons beat the Panthers at home last season, so he certainly should pick up at least 36 yards.
But Jones doesn't care about statistics. He just wants to win. He won't let a banged-up ankle or thumb keep him from helping the Falcons secure a postseason berth.
"He played all last year with a torn something in his foot, I don't know what it was," fellow receiver Mohamed Sanu said of Jones. "A lot of people wouldn't have been able to walk. But he was out there running full-speed routes ... and killing people."