Jonathan Jones won’t be suiting up Saturday night in Buffalo, but the New England Patriots cornerback still managed to land a shot on Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Jones, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in October, commemmorated Saturday night’s Pats-Bills playoff game by sharing photos of himself leveling Allen on Instagram.
“Playoff football,” Jones wrote. “Enough said.”
That post won’t go over well in Buffalo, as Jones’ hit — which came during a 2019 Patriots win at what’s now called Highmark Stadium — left Allen in concussion protocol. Jones was flagged for unnecessary roughness but was not fined, with the NFL believing the hit did not warrant supplemental discipline.
Multiple Patriots teammates defended Jones after that game. Head coach Bill Belichick did, too, saying “there really isn’t anything you can tell him to do differently.”
“I mean, Allen’s a big runner,” Belichick said in 2019. “He’s a strong guy. He’s hard to tackle. He certainly broke several tackles against us. Jon turned when he hit him. He didn’t lead with his head. He didn’t have that posture.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott disagreed, arguing Jones should have been ejected.
Keeping Allen corralled will be a major point of emphasis for New England on Saturday. The dual-threat Bills QB had 64 rushing yards in the teams’ last meeting and made multiple throws while scrambling outside the pocket.
The Patriots’ cornerback depth also will be tested. In addition to Jones, their top slot corner, they’ll also be without starter Jalen Mills, who did not clear COVID protocol in time to play in this wild-card playoff matchup. New England will need to make do with some combination of J.C. Jackson, Myles Bryant, Joejuan Williams, Justin Bethel and elevated practice squadders D’Angelo Ross and De’Vante Bausby.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET.
