There’s a strange symmetry going on between Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin and Falcons wideout Julio Jones.
Against the Vikings in Week Three, Benjamin was held without a reception for the first time since his freshman season at Florida State. A day later, Jones had just one catch against the Saints on Monday Night Football.
That broke a string of 49 straight games with at least three catches for Jones, who hadn’t failed to rack up multiple receptions in a game since he had just one against the Panthers on Sept. 30, 2012. And that just so happened to be a day after Benjamin was last shut out — Sept. 29, 2012, by South Florida.
So while the Panthers and Falcons are facing questions this week about the disappearance of their No. 1 wideouts, it’s highly unlikely either will be as quiet Sunday in the Georgia Dome.
“That can't happen,” Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said Wednesday asked about targeting Benjamin just once against the Vikings. “If I'm speaking for it, that won't happen again. He's too good of a player.”
As is Jones.
“He’s going to put up big numbers for us,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said, “there’s no question about that. But it’s just how games shake out, and sometimes defenses try to defend him differently, and that makes an advantage for us somewhere else.”
With the Saints focused on shutting down Jones, the Falcons exploded for 217 rushing yards, their most since the 2011 regular-season finale against the Bucs. But Ryan and the passing game also chipped in 240 yards and a pair of scores.
The Panthers’ often center their game plan on stopping an opponent’s run game, so Jones probably won’t see as much attention as he did in New Orleans. And while he's been bothered by calf and ankle injuries, he could get well against Carolina and rookie cornerback James Bradberry.
As much as former corner Josh Norman relished going head-to-head with Jones, the wideout totaled 31 catches and 449 yards in his past five meetings with the Panthers, including a 9-catch, 178-yard performance in Week 16 last year.
In Benjamin's last matchup with the Falcons, he had just one catch for nine yards, which until this past Sunday, was his lowest output as a pro. But a closer look at the box score from that 2014 de facto NFC South title game shares a reminder that the Panthers attempted just 16 passes in their 34-3 blowout win.
“I think often times there are games that go that way for whatever reason you didn’t have the run-pass balance,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Sometimes you just get out of whack that way. I don’t think there is necessarily any rhyme or reason.
“Everybody knows (Benjamin) is a feature player for them. I wouldn’t look too much into (what happened last week).”
While the Vikings are a top-10 defense against the pass, the Falcons are in the bottom-5. Their 313 passing yards allowed per game ranks 29th, to be exact. They’ve also allowed 10 touchdowns through the air, a total that’s tied with Detroit for most in the league.
So, sure, there’s some hand-wringing in Carolina about Benjamin’s lack of touches in Week Three, but there’s a good chance Newton will make up for it on Sunday.
“That's up to him. He is the quarterback,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “But believe me, if there's one thing that we've learned: If Cam says he's going to do something he's most certainly going to try.”
