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In Week 4, Jack Jones had his best performance in a New England Patriots uniform, but the rookie cornerback felt disrespected by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Jones was all over the place in New England’s 27-24 overtime loss to the Packers. He ended the day with a forced fumble, fumble recovery, and a pick-six on Rodgers. The interception for a touchdown marked the first time that the Patriots found the end zone in Week 4 and was Jones’ first career interception.
“I was reading my keys and he threw it outside,” Jones told the media after the game. “I had a chance to make a play on the ball…I got the pick and I just ran.”
Still, Jones feels that it is “disrespectful” to throw to a receiver running an out route (which Rodgers did) and that capable cornerbacks make a play when those are run against them.
“Personally, I find it disrespectful to throw an out route on me,” he said. “If you can get the ball outside of me, I’m no good.”
Jones also talked about his forced fumble.
“Once he got around me, I tried to make sure he went back inside, but once he got around me I tried to come back around and punch at the ball,” he said. “I didn’t get the best punch, but it was good enough to get the ball out so that’s good.”
What Did Other Patriots Say About Jones?
Jones clearly earned the admiration of his teammates and coaches. It started with Bill Belichick praising the rookie after the loss.
“We will look at the film and see how it goes,” Belichick said. “Jack made some good plays and there are some other things he can work on like everybody, like all of us. It was a big play at the end of the half.”
Matthew Judon was also impressed with the performance of the rookie.
“For him to play as well as he did and to get that pick and force that fumble, that’s a great start to his career as a starting [defensive back],” Judon told reporters. “He just has to build on it, he just has to ride that wave.”
Finally, Devin McCourty said that Jones’ performance is exactly what the veteran has been seeing day in and day out.
“He’s been doing that,” McCourty said postgame. “It’s the reason why he’s a rookie and he’s out there playing. Not just today because J-Mills is down — no, he’s been in the games playing because he’s been consistent. He’s learned, I think, as training camp has gone on, he’s done a good job of the mistakes he’s made of learning from them and not making them again. And today showed that.”
What Other Rookies Stepped Up?
Jack Jones wasn’t the only cornerback drafted in 2022 to have a good performance against the Packers. Marcus Jones did a great job returning the ball, gaining chunks of yardage on returns.
This earned the returner a shout-out from captain Matthew Slater.
“Really proud of the young players on this team,” Slater said. “Had a lot of rookies step up and make some big plays. Obviously Bailey, but Brenden in the kicking game and Marcus in the kicking game. Jack Jones. Proud of the way the young guys played. Proud of the way this team competed. It’s unfortunate. We wanted to win the game. We don’t really say this is a moral victory because this is the National Football League, but I think we can build upon this.”