Message to all those other NFL defenses: Cover Julio Jones.

The Falcons receiver caught 12 passes for 300 yards — becoming the sixth player in NFL history to hit the 300-yard mark in receiving to lift Atlanta to a 48-33 victory over Carolina on Sunday.

Matt Ryan had 503 yards passing for Atlanta and the quarterback and receiver became the first teammates to reach 500 and 300 in the same game .

“We tried to cover him,” said Panthers coach Ron Rivera. “We thought we had a good plan coming in.”

That plan involved sticking rookie cornerback James Bradberry, among others, in single coverage on Jones for most of the game.

Jones said he was surprised at the strategy, especially because the Panthers play the Falcons twice every year. Jones had 1,871 yards receiving last year — the second-biggest season total in league history.

“They put the young corner on me man to man ... and Matt made some great decisions today,” Jones said.