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Cincinnati — Lions receiver Marvin Jones returned to where it all started on Sunday and achieved a personal milestone in the process.
In the first game against his former team, Jones reached the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in a season in his five-year career.
But the feat was overshadowed by the fact the Lions were officially eliminated from playoff contention in a brutal 26-17 loss to the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.
Jones entered the game 30 yards shy of 1,000 yards and broke the plateau early in the third quarter. He made a leaping 31-yard catch with Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard (Michigan State) draped all over him that put Detroit in the red zone on its first drive of the second half.
“It really doesn’t mean anything right now,” Jones said of the personal high. “After the season I’ll look back at my accomplishments.”
Jones finished the game with three catches for 50 yards, but dropped a critical pass on a third down that stalled a drive in Cincinnati territory and led to a 50-yard field goal attempt by Matt Prater that fell short.
More:Justin Rogers' Lions grades: Special teams, coaches fail
Jones’ previous best was 930 yards last season in his first year with the Lions, most of which came during his scorching first half.
Jones was drafted by the Bengals in the fifth round with the No. 166 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. He tallied 1,729 yards, 134 catches and 15 touchdowns over 43 games in Cincinnati before he signed a five-year, $40 million deal as a free agent two offseasons ago with Detroit.
However, Jones said the achievement doesn’t carry any added significance with it taking place in the same stadium he called home for the first four seasons of his professional career.
"It's cool to play against everybody, see everybody and see that everybody is doing well,” he said. “It's always good to come and go and compete against them.
“Obviously, it is what it is. It's a personal accomplishment, but at the same time we're here to win games. That all takes care of itself. We have another game left and we have to go after it."
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
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