FOXBORO, Mass. — Special teams often plays an important role in the NFL playoffs, and Jacoby Jones is capable of making game-changing kick returns for the Baltimore Ravens with his speed and strength. He’s not afraid to return any kick, even if the ball lands in his arms deep in the end zone.
“Absolutely. If it’s anything less than nine and a half (yards), he’ll bring it,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday as his team prepares to host the Ravens in Saturday’s divisional-round matchup. “(Jones is) really dangerous, great speed, strong, hard to tackle. He breaks a lot of tackles as a hard runner. There’s times where he makes yards on his own, makes yards with his ability to run through tackles.
“He’s really good on kickoffs when he can build his speed and momentum. Does a good job on punts, too, does a really good job of stretching the field. We got to defend sideline to sideline on him, but if you give him any space, he can rip it up inside and run through arm tackles. … He’s as dangerous as a return guy as there is in the league.”
The Patriots haven’t given up a kickoff return for a touchdown this season, but preventing Jones from helping the Ravens establish good field position won’t be easy.
Jones only had one reception for 3 yards in the Ravens’ 30-17 wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, but he made a positive impact on special teams with 117 return yards on five kicks (23.4-yard average). No player had more return yards on Wild Card Weekend.
Jones also is capable of being a threat in the Ravens’ passing attack, where his speed makes him a good downfield target for quarterback Joe Flacco — as was showcased late in the Ravens’ thrilling divisional-round win over the Denver Broncos during their 2012 Super Bowl-winning campaign. Flacco, who owns one of the strongest arms in the league, can connect on throws well beyond 20 yards if Jones beats his man.
“He’s dangerous on offense, too,” Belichick said. “When they put him in there, he’s a good run-after-the-catch guy and a good vertical threat, big target.
“Anytime he walks on the field, you got to respect him.”
Thumbnail photo via Brad Barr/USA TODAY Sports Images
