Seahawks' Richard Sherman to face huge test in Falcons' Julio Jones

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman may be tasked with matching up one-on-one with Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones on Sunday, continuing a trend started last year. To see how Sherman's performed when shadowing an opponent's No. 1 wideout, according to data from Pro Football Focus, check out the rest of the gallery. less Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman may be tasked with matching up one-on-one with Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones on Sunday, continuing a trend started last year. To see how Sherman's performed when ... more Photo: AP Photo: AP Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Seahawks' Richard Sherman to face huge test in Falcons' Julio Jones 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will likely face his toughest test of the 2016 season when tasked with shutting down -- or at least limiting -- Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones when Seattle hosts Atlanta at CenturyLink Field Sunday.

Sherman, 28, is well known for patrolling the left side of Seattle's "Cover 3" defense, which has allowed the Seahawks to slant coverage away from him in order to help out the other cornerback(s) on the field, whether that be Brandon Browner, Byron Maxwell, Cary Williams or DeShawn Shead.

But starting last year, with Williams struggling mightily after signing with Seattle in free agency, Sherman was given a chance to shadow some of the premier receivers in the league in an attempt to neutralize an offense's most potent weapon.

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Jones, 27, a three-time Pro Bowler who ranks third in the NFL with 517 receiving yards, certainly qualifies as that. Jones racked up 300 yards and one of his three touchdowns on the season on 12 receptions against the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Week 4 -- one of the greatest receiving games in recent league history.

"He's just got marvelous talents, and he's really fast when he gets going down field," Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. "He's a big play-maker. He's just a great player."

The two have faced off twice since Sherman ascended to Seattle's starting lineup during his 2011 rookie season, once in the regular season and once in the teams' NFC divisional round matchup following the 2012 season (Jones missed the teams' regular-season matchup in 2013).

In those three matchups -- neither of which saw Sherman follow Jones around the field -- Jones totaled 17 receptions for 176 yards, though 11 of those receptions and 127 yards came in the 2011 regular-season contest.

Jones, who said he didn't know if Sherman was planning on following him around on Sunday, spoke highly of his adversary with Seattle media on Wednesday.

"You can't tip a guy off like Richard Sherman because he will definitely make you pay for it," Jones said. "He's a long player. He's a longer cornerback, he's instinctive, he has great ball skills."

Carroll tiptoed around the question of whether or not Sherman would shadow Jones on Sunday, but based on Seattle's recent history -- and on the bevy of weapons at Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's disposal -- it seems like a good bet.

Playing almost exclusively on the left side of the defense was fodder for those who said Sherman didn't match up in the discussion of the league's top cornerback because he didn't follow a team's top wideout, unlike New York's Darrelle Revis or Arizona's Patrick Peterson. On Wednesday Sherman said he's been enjoying the new challenge, while reiterating that the decision to match up one-on-one is out of his hands.

"It's been something that's been fun for me," he said. "Whenever they ask me to do it, whenever the challenge presents itself or a team, it's always their decision. It's not like I get to pick or choose which games I do it."

In the five-plus games over two years when Sherman trailed an opponent's No. 1 receiver, he's performed extraordinarily well. According to data compiled by Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 13 catches on 33 attempts for 192 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Those receivers read like a "who's who" list: Cincinnati's A.J. Green, Dallas' Dez Bryant and Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown were among Sherman's marks in 2015, while New York's Brandon Marshall attracted his attention in Seattle's Week 4 victory over the Jets this season.

Sherman's performance against Brown, who caught an NFL-high 136 passes for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2015, was particularly notable. Heading into the game, analysts worried the lanky, physical 6-foot-3, 195-pound Sherman would have a had time handling the shifty 5-foot-10 Brown -- as opposed to receivers like Bryant (6-foot-2, 225) or Green (6-foot-4, 205) who more closely matched his body type.

But Sherman smothered Brown, limiting him to just three catches for 24 yards on a whopping nine targets. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was forced to look elsewhere on 46 of his 55 pass attempts on the day, and though he racked up 456 passing yards and a touchdown, the Seahawks were able to force four turnovers, including an interception by Sherman, in Seattle's 39-30 win.

Ryan could employ a similar tactic on Sunday. With running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman -- who have combined for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns on 155 offensive touches this season -- plus wide receivers Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel and Aldrick Robinson and tight ends Jacob Tamme and Austin Hooper, the Falcons have other options.

But if Sherman is tasked with limiting Jones' damage -- and if he performs as well as he's done over the past two seasons -- the Seahawks have a very good chance of emerging from Sunday's matchup with a division-leading 4-1 record.

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.