Getty Matt Ryan #2 and Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons’ pitch and catch duo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are just seven touchdowns away from being the 10th highest scoring duo in NFL history.
We’ll definitely see this connection make the NFL’s top 10 list for touchdowns passes/receptions in the 2020 season.
Julio is currently right under 12,000 yards receiving and 57 touchdown passes since Ryan entered the league in 2011.
A Look at Who is Ahead of Them
Here’s a look at who is ahead of Ryan and Julio in the top 10.
Ryan and Julio are just 6 touchdowns behind the Philip Rivers-Antonio Gates connection, which led to 63 touchdowns over the duo’s long career together.
They’re also only 7 behind Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry. This means that if the duo has 8 touchdown catches in 2020, Ryan and Julio will stand alone at No. 9 in NFL history for that mark.
Climbing up the charts to No. 9 would put the duo in a better position to reach the top 5 come the 2021 season.
The duos ahead of them at that point would be Joe Montana and Jerry Rice (67), Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman (67), Drew Brees and Marques Colston (again, 67), Jim Kelly and Andre Reed (71), and Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne (76).
Passing those guys would put them at No. 4, however, it’s definitely a stretch to think they’ll make it that high in the rankings…but you never know.
Still, it would be tough to beat Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (82), Steve Young and Jerry Rice (92), and Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (118).
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Ryan Worked Out With Julio in Quarantine
Through this unique offseason, Ryan has been making an effort to get some work in with his top pass-catchers, Julio and Calvin Ridley.
Ryan even went as far as traveling to California where Julio spends his offseasons.
After battling some minor injuries last season, Ryan said that Jones has been awesome throughout their workouts and looks to be in great shape. Last season, Jones recorded 99 catches, 1,394 receiving yards, and six touchdowns.
Aside from continuing his ongoing bond with Jones, Ryan has been making his connection with Ridley much stronger. Ridley was just shy of reaching 1,000 receiving yards last season after missing the last three games. He’s expected to hit that goal this year and beyond. He’ll have to compete for Ryan’s attention behind Julio, but Ryan says he likes what he sees.
Ryan is a Dark Horse MVP Candidate
The Falcons have truly been blessed with a stud QB who has been the most reliable since his rookie year in 2008 when he turner the franchise around.
Ryan has been the most successful QB for Atlanta and the only Falcons player to ever win an NFL MVP award and according to Adam Schein’s list of dark-horse MVP candidates for NFL.com, Ryan is in the running for another one.
“The Ice Man never gets proper credit for being awesome, Shein said. He’s rarely brought up in conversations about the game’s top signal-callers. And that’s just wrong. Frankly, Ryan would be listed much higher on here if I felt more confident about the Falcons‘ defense or head coach, as this award is largely dependent on team success.
“But I think Ryan will put up monster numbers this season with the plethora of weapons he has at his disposal. Todd Gurley is a significant upgrade over Devonta Freeman. Julio Jones remains a force of nature. Calvin Ridley is a great No. 2. And trade acquisition Hayden Hurst gives Ryan a fine weapon up the seam. Get ready for some fireworks in Atlanta.”
All around, this year will be fun to keep up with and certainly one for the history books, folks.
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Falcons’ QB-WR Duo Less Than 10 Touchdown Catches Away From NFL History