The Patriots have suffered through a two-game losing streak since entering their bye week after winning seven straight. The causes of the losses have been multiple, from inconsistent offensive line play to busted coverages and over-pursuit on run plays defensively. Against the Bills on Sunday, New England was outplayed by Buffalo and Josh Allen made several terrific throws to propel his team to victory. One player that the Patriots are sorely missing, and who could have helped make a difference against the Bills, is injured slot cornerback Jonathan Jones.
Jones, 28, joined New England in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. Since he joined the Patriots, he has been surrounded by great outside corners, from Malcolm Butler to Stephon Gilmore to J.C. Jackson. Jones was able to carve out a role for himself as a slot corner and by 2018 he was one of the better slot corners in the NFL. The Patriots were not afraid to match him up against Tyreek Hill when New England played the juggernaut Chiefs offense and Jones held his own. His 4.28 40-yard dash time allowed him to run with speedy slot receivers across the field and his sure tackling prevented catches he did give up from becoming big gains. In 2020, Pro Football Focus graded him as the fifth-best corner in the NFL.
On Sunday against the Bills, Buffalo utilized a significant amount of crossing routes with Isaiah McKenzie matched up with Myles Bryant in man coverage or to find open windows when the Patriots played zone. McKenzie had 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. It’s fair to question why the Patriots continued to play coverages that put slower linebackers in space and forced Bryant to follow McKenzie across the field all day. Despite this, the Patriots still would have been much better off had Jones been on McKenzie. His speed and experience would have curtailed McKenzie’s big day and perhaps been enough for the Patriots to make 1-2 critical plays on defense that could have swung the game.
Jonathan Jones is an unsung player that has helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls. His injury against the Cowboys was overshadowed by the Patriots following that with a seven-game winning streak. However, not having Jones has made the Patriots defense worse and it showed up against the Bills on Sunday. Without him, Bill Belichick may be forced to play more zone and blitz more to force early passes against teams with good slot receivers. As New England heads toward the postseason, they will face teams with good slot options and Jones’ absence will continue to loom large.