Julio Jones Sprints 80 Yards To Make Tackle That Eventually Does Not Count

In a close battle between division rivals in the NFC South, any noteworthy play could have turned the game either way for the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup yesterday. But the best play of the day had a twisted outcome in that it never counted when the play was ruled dead.

With the Falcons having the ball at the six yard line trying to score a touchdown in the first quarter, quarterback Matt Ryan threw an intended pass to wide receiver Julio Jones, only to have intercepted by Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander. With Alexander breaking through Atlanta’s players, he was on the way to scoring the first touchdown of the game with a 93-yard return. But Jones, who played both wide receiver and defensive end at the University of Alabama, turned on the full throttle to run to catch Alexander and brought him down before he could reach the end zone. The play would eventually be called dead because of an offsides penalty being called against the Bucs and the Falcons keeping the ball. This resulted in Jones in having to sit out a play in order to catch his breath before going back out on the field.

The Falcons went on to lose to the Bucs in a thrilling 23-30 loss.

Photo: ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 01: Kwon Alexander #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers strips the ball from Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at the Georgia Dome on November 1, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)