Jack Jones is becoming quite the ball magnet for the Patriots’ defense.
One week after snagging a pick-six and forcing and recovering a fumble in New England’s overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers, Jones skied through the Foxboro air to pull down an acrobatic red-zone interception.
The rookie cornerback’s latest takeaway was a key play in what proved to be a decisive Patriots victory. New England cruised to a 29-0 win over the Lions at Gillette Stadium, holding Detroit to 0-for-2 in the red zone and 0-for-6 on fourth down.
Head coach Bill Belichick broke down Jones’ INT during his Monday morning video conference, explaining how he and linebacker Jahlani Tavai teamed up to foil a wheel route by talented Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson.
“It’s a tough play,” Belichick said. “It’s well-designed, what they were doing. (Tom) Kennedy was going down the seam, and he was about 10 yards ahead of Hockenson, and Hockenson was going down the sideline, so it’s what we call a double seam play where it’s two guys going vertical but they were at different levels. That’s always hard on the defense. It’s hard on the corner because if they’re on the same level, he can midpoint both guys. If they’re on different levels like that, it’s hard to do that.
“Jahlani made a really good play when the ball was in the air to close as much as he did, but Jack just came off of Kennedy as the ball was going thrown. Saw the throw, came off of Kennedy, and obviously made a tremendous play with the interception and being able to get his feet down in bounds. Actually both guys — Jahlani and Jack — played it very well.
“But it’s a good play. It’s a tough play. And of course Hockenson is a tough guy to defend with those high throws like that was. He would have, I’m sure, gone up and gotten it for a touchdown if Jack hadn’t been able to get his hands on the ball. So really a heads-up play — or just a good play from Jahlani and by Jack of recognizing it and Jack’s transition and ball skills. Timing, jump, catch. It’s an outstanding catch. And to get his feet down in bounds — I mean, he looked like a receiver doing that.”
Jones’ play of late has sparked comparisons to J.C. Jackson, the former Patriots cornerback who boasted elite, receiver-esque ball skills. Jalen Mills’ return from a hamstring injury pushed Jones back into a reserve role Sunday, but he continued to see a sizable workload, playing 58% of New England’s defensive snaps.
The Patriots shut out Detroit’s top-ranked offense and eliminated Hockenson, who was coming off an eight-catch, 179-yard, two-touchdown effort in Week 4. He finished with just one catch on four targets for 6 yards on Sunday.
“It’s real tough, and that’s a credit to them,” Hockenson told reporters after the game. “You can’t say that they didn’t have some things for us. They are a very moving front, and they do a lot of things up front. For me even to get out on a route was tough, because their ends were just not too worried about the rush and they were hammering me. It was just one of those things. We were ready, but it was definitely different for sure.”
