Falcons' pair of aces at receiver poses major test for Packers

[Cheesehead]

Jones caught nine passes for 157 yards in Atlanta's Week 1 loss to Seattle before the hamstring injury slowed him significantly in Week 2 and kept him on the sideline in Week 3.


Meanwhile Ridley (6-1, 190), like Jones a first-round draft pick from Alabama, is dealing with his own injury issues (ankle/calf, limited in practice) but has topped 100 receiving yards every game this season. His 349 yards rank a close second to Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins (356), and his four touchdown catches are tied for first with Seattle's Tyler Lockett.


Drafted in 2018, seven years after Jones, Ridley posted 60-plus catches and 800-plus yards in each of his first two seasons in the league. But he's found another gear in 2020, perhaps literally and figuratively.


"You see a guy that's really fast and can get in and out of cuts," Packers defensive backs coach Jerry Gray said. "He's winning one-on-ones. He's going against top corners.


"He looks really, really explosive out of the break, so he must have had a great offseason, even with the pandemic. You have to be running that fast somewhere before you get in the season."


Put more succinctly by LaFleur: "He can flat fly."


The Falcons began last week's game against the Bears by hitting Ridley on a deep ball for 63 yards on their first play from scrimmage, and understandably the play jumped off the film at the Packers.


Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said that's a common piece of Atlanta's opening script, to "loosen up" the defense. The target could be Jones, Ridley, third-year receiver Russell Gage or even tight end Hayden Hurst, who will run the seam routes.


"Matt Ryan throws a heck of a deep ball and they've got guys that can get deep in a hurry," Pettine said. "So certainly it's nothing that's going to surprise us. There's plenty of examples of it on tape."