Jonathan Jones looking good for New England Patriots

The sports adage advises a player to “keep your eye on the ball.” But New England Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones focuses his gaze on something else to know when it’s time for that cliché when covering NFL receivers.

“I try to stare at the receiver as long as I can,” Jones said. “Try to get as much information as him. Your eyes don’t lie, and your hands don’t lie. At some point, the receiver’s got to make that motion to go catch the ball, and there’s a lot in facial expressions, so eyes get big and you can just tell that the ball is coming and try to flip your head around and try to locate the ball.”

Jones said some receivers try to fool defenders by keeping their hands low as long as possible, but it’s hard for them to disguise that football-is-coming look on their faces.

“That’s about the best thing receivers can do, but your eyes can’t lie,” Jones said. “When that ball is coming, that’s just a natural instinct to put your eyes to try to zoom in on that ball, so there are guys that do a great job of showing late hands, which kind of makes it hard and difficult. But when it’s facial expressions, like I said, you really can’t hide those. There would be some great actors out there that could.”

Jones' tactics have been productive this season. Quarterbacks throwing to receivers covered by the former Auburn standout in 2020 have managed a passing-efficiency rating of only 63.3. On Sunday, Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock targeted Jones eight times, but he allowed only one reception – a 16-yard catch by former Alabama standout Jerry Jeudy.

Jones broke up two of the passes, including knocking the football out of Denver tight end Albert Okwuegbunam’s hands in the end zone, and made his first interception of the season and fifth of his career. Although the Patriots lost to the Broncos 18-12, Jones gave them a chance to win by intercepting Lock’s long pass to wide receiver Tim Patrick with 3:14 left to play.

“At the last minute, he tipped it,” Jones said of snaring the interception. “That kind of altered it for me. We practice long ball drills over and over. I was on top, it was going to be an overthrow going over the shoulder, and he was able to get his hand on it, and I was able to track it and bring it in.”

A cornerback by trade, Jones started at safety against the Broncos, but also saw time at slot corner and outside corner.

“Jon was in on several pass breakups and also made some tackles around the line of scrimmage and did a good job in the run force,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Played a combination of the safety and corner roles, but had a real productive game, and he was tested multiple times and was really in good position. Played the ball well.

“The interception he had was an outstanding play on the ball. He really tracked it well and made a heck of a catch, so, yeah, he had another good game for us. He’s been a really solid player for us this year, really, and every year. He also did a good job on special teams, so he’s a very valuable guy.”

Jones said his versatility for the Patriots was attained by putting in the time necessary to understand his roles.

“For me, just trying to slow it down with just learning the concept,” Jones said. “Just kind of learning how the whole defense works, and at that point, it’s just plug and play. If you’re the safety, if you’re the corner, you’re the star, whatever it may be, the more you can learn how things around you are moving, it always slows it down for you, so if you hear a call, you kind of know where you fit in on that play.”

Jones has started every game for New England and played 87 percent of the defensive snaps in 2020, continuing a career-long trend since he joined the Patriots from Auburn as an undrafted rookie in 2016.

In his first NFL season, Jones played 64 defensive snaps but got on the field for 307 special-teams plays. In his second season, his defensive playing time jumped to 439 snaps and has continued to increase yearly, reaching 619 snaps – or 61 percent of the Patriots' defensive plays – last season.

“I think it just starts with work,” Jones said. “It’s being out there every day, working, growing, just learning. Trying to not make the same mistakes over and over. Just trying to grow as a player. Take on more roles and develop in this league as a player and continually find new things that I can help the team do. That’s my personal goal.”

Jones and the New England defense will try to be unwelcoming for a former teammate on Sunday when Jimmy Garoppolo returns to Gillette Stadium as the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Once considered Tom Brady’s heir apparent with the Patriots, Garoppolo went to the 49ers for a second-round draft choice on Oct. 31, 2017, while Brady played for New England through the 2019 season.

San Francisco and New England square off at 3:25 p.m. CDT Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. CBS affiliates in Alabama are scheduled to broadcast the game.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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