Julio Jones’ Masterpiece: Reliving the 2016 NFC Title Game Destruction

ATLANTA — On this day in 2017, Julio Jones didn’t just play wide receiver; he became a force of nature that the Green Bay Packers had no answer for. In the final NFL game ever played at the Georgia Dome, Jones delivered one of the most statistically dominant postseason performances in league history, racking up 180 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches to power the Atlanta Falcons to a 44-21 victory and a Super Bowl berth.

One of the greatest postseason performances ever by a wide receiver‼️ pic.twitter.com/a0tkTyNrS2

— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2026

While the box score is staggering, one specific play defines the carnage. Early in the third quarter, with Atlanta already leading, Matt Ryan fired a simple crossing route to Jones. What should have been a 15-yard gain turned into a 73-yard humiliation of the Green Bay secondary.

Jones caught the ball in stride, brushed off an attempted tackle by LaDarius Gunter, and then delivered a vicious stiff-arm to Damarious Randall that sent the defender sprawling to the turf. Jones sprinted the rest of the way untouched, extending the lead to 31-0 and effectively ending the game right there. It was a perfect synthesis of size, speed, and power that few receivers in history could replicate.

“He’s a beast. I’ve been around a lot of good ones, but he’s a special player. When you get the ball in his hands, he can do special things.” — Matt Ryan, Former Falcons Quarterback

This performance wasn’t just a flash in the pan; it was historic. Jones became the first player in NFL history to record multiple games with 150+ receiving yards in Conference Championship play (he also torched the 49ers in 2012). For Falcons fans, it remains the apex of the “Brotherhood” era—a moment where the offense looked virtually unstoppable before the heartbreak that awaited in Houston two weeks later.