ATLANTA -- Julio Jones had a career day, catching 10 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown to keep the Atlanta Falcons in first place with a 29-18 victory over the punchless Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Arizona (9-3) still leads the NFC West after its second straight loss, but its lead over defending Super Bowl champion Seattle has dwindled to a single game.
More troubling for the Cardinals, they had gone more than 11 quarters without an offensive touchdown until a meaningless score with just over a minute remaining.
Steven Jackson broke off a 55-yard run - his longest run since 2009 - to set up a touchdown on the Falcons' opening possession.
Jones hauled in a 32-yard scoring pass, and Matt Bryant kicked a career-best five field goals for the Falcons (5-7), who matched New Orleans' 35-32 win at Pittsburgh to remain tied for the top spot in the NFC South.
Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press
Relive Julio Jones's performance against the Cardinals with Game Rewind