How cornerback Jonathan Jones delivered the points the Patriots needed against the Colts
The offense only had one touchdown, and it was set up by a blocked punt from Jonathan Jones. Jones also returned an interception for a touchdown.
The two biggest plays of Sunday’s game that led to the only touchdowns in New England’s 26-3 win over Indianapolis both came from Jonathan Jones.
The first came with an element of surprise, when the Patriots lined up like they were planning to return a punt but charged forward as soon as the ball was snapped.
Jones, darting in from the outside, dove for the ball just in time and knocked it backward, where it landed a few yards outside of the Indianapolis end zone and was scooped up by Brendan Schooler. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Jones’s timing on the play was perfect.
“We had that dialed up pretty early to go after them early on punt,” Jones said. “I don’t know if it was revenge from last year, but it was kind of on our radar to go after them on special teams.”
From there, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones only had to move the ball three yards with a short pass to Rhamondre Stevenson to score.
Patriots linebacker Josh Uche, who posted three of the Patriots’ nine sacks, said the impact of the plays was felt not just by the Patriots defense, but also the Colts’ offense.
“Special teams, man, it’s a momentum changer,” Uche said. “[You get] something like that, then you put points up on the board, then it kind of deflates the offense. Those big plays we had on special teams definitely changed the game for us.”
Then, in the fourth quarter, Jones put the game out of reach with a 16-yard interception return for touchdown off of a tipped ball.
Those two plays provided a 14-point swing on a day when the offense only reached the end zone once. Overall, it was a big day for Jones, Belichick said.
“Jon’s interception was a good catch, another tough catch, a low ball,” Belichick said. “Came up with it and got a couple good blocks there, and you’re not going to catch Jon from behind. Once he saw some space, it was all over. So it was big plays for us. That’s 14 points that are kind of bonus points that it’s hard to count on going into the game. But when you get them, that makes a big difference in the final score.”
Jones initially made his mark with the Patriots on special teams after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2016.
And even though he’s since established himself as a starter on defense, he showed that his impact on special teams can still be huge for New England.
“Jon’s had a lot of good games for us. Jon’s one of our best players,” said Belichick.
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