ATLANTA -- Round 1 went to Julio Jones. But we saw enough to get excited for the rematch in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in two weeks.
The New Orleans Saints’ breakout rookie cornerback, Marshon Lattimore, returned from the ankle injury that he suffered three weeks ago in time for Thursday night’s marquee matchup against one of the NFL’s most dynamic receivers.
But Lattimore wasn’t quite 100 percent because of an unspecified illness, which forced him to make several trips to the sideline for oxygen as the Saints fell to the Atlanta Falcons 20-17.
Fellow Saints cornerback Ken Crawley said Lattimore was coughing up blood -- though Lattimore told the New Orleans Advocate that wasn’t the case.
Regardless, Lattimore had a huge moment when he snagged an interception in front of Jones late in the first half. But Jones landed more blows with a total of four catches for 79 yards when Lattimore was covering him.
Lattimore also was flagged twice for defensive holding against Jones, and Jones was flagged once for offensive pass interference for pushing off against Lattimore.
“Every time I give up one catch, you know, I'm mad. So [my performance was] just average,” Lattimore said. “He's one of the best receivers in the league. I tried to make sure he [wouldn’t] be the reason they win as much as I could. I mean, he's one of the best. So it is what it is."
One of Jones' catches -- a slant route that turned into a 38-yard gain on third-and-6 in the first quarter -- came after Lattimore got tripped by Falcons tight end Austin Hooper as they crossed paths. But Jones definitely got the better of Lattimore on gains of 21 and 14 yards.
Jones didn’t make any game-breaking plays, though. And Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw two interceptions while trying to force the ball to Jones -- once by Lattimore and once by Saints safety Marcus Williams in the end zone.
The rematch should be even more intriguing because Lattimore figures to be even closer to full strength in Week 16. And if both teams take care of business in winnable games in Week 15 (Saints vs. New York Jets, Falcons at Tampa Bay), the NFC South lead could be at stake.
"Yeah, of course,” Lattimore said when asked if he’s excited to get another crack at Jones in two weeks. “I want to go against the best. That's going to make me better."
When asked what he learned from the first meeting, Lattimore coyly said he’ll keep that to himself. But he said, “I just take it in and try to work on everything.”
Lattimore might need a strong performance against Jones in Week 16 -- not to mention the Jets' rising duo of receivers Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse in Week 15 and another strong performance against the Buccaneers' dynamic duo of Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson in Week 17 -- to cement his place as a front-runner for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Lattimore, who is still just 21 years old, was on that path before he suffered the ankle injury in the first quarter against the Washington Redskins in Week 11. But the 11th overall pick in this year's draft missed the past two games and wasn't 100 percent on Thursday’s prime-time stage. So he might need a strong finish to secure the award and secure a NFC South title for his team.
Lattimore said he's just glad that he's back out there contributing again.
“It felt good to get back out there with my team,” Lattimore said. “It was supposed to be a win, but I'm just glad I'm back out there.
“It's been hard. I want to be out there making plays with my team, getting wins, contributing to the team any way I can. It's just tough not being out there.”