FOXBORO, Mass. — Malcolm Butler sure looked like a No. 1 cornerback Sunday.
The Patriots cornerback tracked Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson around the field and limited him to three catches on six targets for 15 yards with one pass breakup in New England’s 27-10 win.
Butler had experience against Jackson in joint practices with the Redskins in 2014 and was torched. Butler used the film from those joint sessions while preparing for Jackson this week.
“I can’t remember anything from that, but just going back to watching film, make sure I put my hands in the right place, make sure I don’t miss,” Butler said. “He’s a great player. I went out there, tried to do my best to limit his catches. I just got to continue, stride forward onto next week.”
Butler wasn’t the only Patriots defender who shined in coverage Sunday. Check out the Patriots’ coverage stats:
Logan Ryan: 5-9, 88 yards, INT, PBU
Justin Coleman: 3-5, 29 yards, two PBUs
Devin McCourty: 2-3, 21 yards
Jerod Mayo: 1-1, 16 yards
Malcolm Butler: 3-6, 15 yards, PBU
Patrick Chung: 2-6, 14 yards, PBU
Rob Ninkovich: 1-1, 6 yards
Jordan Richards: 1-2, 3 yards, TD
Jonathan Freeny: 0-1
Jon Bostic: 0-1
The Patriots allowed Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins to complete just 22 passes on 40 attempts for 217 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Chandler Jones recorded the Patriots’ lone sack. Any catch that isn’t accounted for in the above stats was completed on zone coverage.
The Redskins suffered numerous drops in the game, which makes the Patriots’ coverage numbers look slightly better than they actually were. The Patriots also went to a soft zone late in the game, which is when Ryan gave up 34 of his 88 yards.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
