Getty The Patriots defense remains one of the top units in the NFL.
In the New England Patriots Week 4 victory over the Buffalo Bills, defense played a big part in limiting the hosts to just 10 total points and not much of an offensive output.
Much of that was due to superb play by the Patriots secondary, which held Josh Allen in check and Matt Barkley late in the game after the starter was hurt.
Allen was injured on a brutal hit by Jonathan Jones. Despite a rough patch over the past few weeks for Jones, he has proven himself to be one of the league’s top slot corners. Jones avoided a fine for that hit, one that Bill Belichick defended but Bills coach Sean McDermott condemned.
It doesn’t look like the Bills will be able to exact any retribution for that hit, however. In all three practices this week, the Patriots’ lone absence has been Jonathan Jones, who suffered a groin injury late in last week’s victory over Cincinnati. And on Thursday, the team ruled him out for Saturday’s game.
Jones played a big part in helping contain Allen’s mobility and short-passing options back in Week 4. Missing Jones on Saturday, especially on a short week, could wind up being a major obstacle for the Patriots.
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Impact of Missing Jones Will Be Huge
The Patriots have already been reeling defensively with cornerback Jason McCourty missing three of the team’s last four contests while dealing with a groin injury himself. He did appear in the Patriots’ loss to Kansas City but only played in four snaps due to the injury.
McCourty has been limited already in practice for the past month, though he has shown signs of improvement. If he isn’t fully ready to go on Saturday along with Jones, however, the Patriots may need to get creative at cornerback.
Buffalo receiver Cole Beasley has been a problem this season and could wreak havoc on the Patriots defense if not shadowed throughout the game. It might require J.C. Jackson to cover Beasley leaving Stephon Gilmore to handle the speedy John Brown.
Jones did most of work on Beasley in the first meeting of the year while also helping to limit the damage by running backs receiving out of the backfield. McCourty also got a few reps on Beasley but his health is still questionable.
Why is Jones So Important?
Bill Belichick has spoken highly of Jones throughout the season, even through his recent tough stretch.
Following New England’s loss to Houston, in which Jones was torched on a few occasions, Belichick’s confidence in the corner didn’t waver.
“I thought his coverage was good really, as good as it could be. It was a good throw and a good catch. We could have executed the blitz better, but I thought Jon did an outstanding job on both plays.”
Jones has allowed 27 completions on 50 targets this season, including six on eight targets in Week 4 against Buffalo. But given he’s covered slot receivers who often see the highest amount of targets, it’s no surprise he’s been targeted a lot.
Not to mention Jones is a pretty important special teams contributor as well, the Patriots may have to figure a lot of things out on Saturday.
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