Tag: Jack Jones

4 Takeaways from Patriots’ 29-0 dismantling of Lions

Here are 4 main takeaways from the Patriots’ performance on Sunday

The New England Patriots, clad in their classic red Pat Patriot getup, sent the No. 1 ranked Detroit Lions offense through the woodchipper on Sunday, holding them scoreless throughout the duration of the contest.

It was running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide reciever Jakobi Meyers leading the way for New England’s offense all game, with Stevenson rushing for 161 yards and Meyers catching seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown.

While the Patriots were still without starting quarterback Mac Jones, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe looked comfortable in his stead, throwing for a solid 188 yards and a touchdown, while also adding an interception.

Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s matchup.

Five rookie cornerbacks grab interceptions in Sunday’s early games

Five rookie cornerbacks grabbed interceptions in the early Sunday games, Here’s how they all happened, and what to expect from all five players.

Interceptions are far from the best arbiter of defensive back excellence. There are cornerbacks who pick off all kinds of passes, and that tends to obscure the plays they allow. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was an optimal example in 2021. The second-year man from Alabama had 11 interceptions, one of the highest single-season totals in pro football history — but he also allowed 27 catches on 101 targets for 1,068 yards, 453 yards after the catch, five touchdowns, and an opponent passer rating of 70.8.

It could easily be argued that Diggs’ 2022 season, in which through the first four weeks he allowed 14 catches on 25 targets for 156 yards, 63 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a 54.8 opponent passer rating, to be the better season overall — at least, to start.

That said, we like our cornerbacks to grab interceptions. And in Sunday’s early slate of games, there was an absolute festival of picks taken by rookie cornerbacks. Five first-year cornerbacks had thefts n those games, and perhaps even more interestingly, there were three first-round cornerbacks with their first career interceptions… and two third-day picks who had already picked off passes earlier in the season.

Let’s go through all five of these plays, and look at how they happened.

Patriots CB Jack Jones steals show again with toe-tapping interception

Jack Jones is proving he’s no one-hit wonder

New England Patriots rookie cornerback Jack Jones is proving he’s no one-trick pony with an incredible interception against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

For a second straight week, the fourth-round draft pick was able to jump a route and come up with a takeaway. But there was some flare to the play he made against the Lions. He went up into the air, high-pointed the ball and toe-tapped along the sidelines to complete the play.

It’s becoming clear that Jones was an obvious steal in the 2022 NFL draft. The former Arizona State standout is showing signs of an emerging playmaker, if not a future lockdown corner in the league.

The Patriots are looking to put an end to a two-game losing streak and snag their first win of the season at Gillette Stadium.

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3 key matchups could decide Patriots’ Week 5 game vs. Lions

These three positional matchups could decide Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Lions.

The Patriots host the Detroit Lions in a week 5 matchup that features the red throwback jerseys for the first time in 10 years. The Lions (1-3) are looking to prove skeptics wrong that their high-powered offense can carry their struggling defense.

Meanwhile, the Patriots are hoping to avoid a third straight loss with rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe making his first NFL start.

Without further ado, let’s get into the key matchups that could decide the fate of this week’s game for the Patriots.

This linebacker could be the missing piece in New England

Should the Patriots consider making a splash at linebacker before the trade deadline? Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity thinks so.

The New England Patriots are off to a less than ideal 1-3 start, and they have a glaring hole on the defensive side of the ball.

The team has struggled to find anyone opposite of Matthew Judon since Kyle Van Noy’s departure, and they desperately need another outside linebacker to help in blitz packages, coverage and in the run. Not to mention, Judon is an elite defender when he has his health, but due to the lack of substitutes or players to take off the pressure, he’s asked to do too much at times

And quite frankly, he isn’t at the stage of his career where he can handle heavy snap loads. Keeping Judon fresh keeps him effective.

The plan has always been for some young defender to take over opposite him. Anfernee Jennings had a great camp, and Josh Uche looked like he could be fully unlocked after showing promise early. But through four games, neither has managed to make the desired impact. If the Patriots wish to make the playoffs this year, the defense could really use a playmaker. Luckily for them, there is one disgruntled linebacker who could be available ahead of the trade deadline.

That player is none other than Roquan Smith of the Chicago Bears.

Smith has been adamant about his desire to be traded or paid what he deserves, and the Bears are in a rebuilding/retooling mode where they don’t have much to put around their young QB. Smith is the Bears’ best asset on the team, and he could demand a ransom. But as the Bears struggle through 2022 with Smith’s pending unrestricted free agency looming, they will possibly lower the price to send him to a team willing to roll the dice on him staying long-term.

Either they do this by November 1st or use a $19 million franchise tag next season on him, which would be beneficial for both sides. But Smith wouldn’t be able to be tagged again in the following season, meaning the team paid a high bill for a rental on a bottom of the barrel team and would fail to get anything in return as other teams would rather wait for his tag to expire.

The Patriots need to add some playmakers that fit the current team’s timeline. With Mac Jones on a rookie deal, it only makes sense to make these franchise-altering moves to add the next generation’s superstar to the defense with Devin McCourty and Judon both getting older.

The Patriots could wind up offering Chicago a package centering on two first-round picks (2023 and 2025) and a future second-rounder. Smith is projected to warrant a hefty contract and could be upwards of $115 million with $60 million guaranteed. It’s a lot of money for many, but for one of the league’s best tacklers and versatile weapons, it would surely be worth it, especially for a Bill Belichick-lead defense. If anyone could unlock another gear out of Smith, it would be Belichick.

The Patriots would add a 26-year-old linebacker opposite of Judon, who would take the pressure off of others in the run game and would feast on the opposite edge. As we get closer to the November 1st deadline, the price will certainly go down for picks, and the Patriots could strike a deadline deal for the superstar and start building their defense around Smith, Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger and Jack Jones for the future.

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Secret Superstars for Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season

From Geno Smith to Jamaree Salyer to Talanoa Hufanga, here are the Secret Superstars for Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season.

There are all kinds of reasons that NFL players are underrated and unsung.

Perhaps they’re in systems that don’t best show their skills. Maybe they’re buried on a depth chart. Or, they’re in somebody’s doghouse, and their coaches can’t see their potential. Or, their efforts are relatively unnoticed among their more celebrated teammates. Sometimes, young players haven’t quite put it all together, but there are enough flashes to make you sit up and take notice, and when it does work, it’s all good.

Week 4 of the 2022 regular season featured players at just about every position who showed up and showed out despite their underrated statuses, and here at Touchdown Wire, it’s our job to point them out.

Here are the Secret Superstars for Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season.

Patriots CB Jack Jones’ PFF grades were off the charts in Week 4

Jack Jones was on a whole other level in Week 4

No cornerback was better than New England Patriots rookie Jack Jones in Week 4, according to Pro Football Focus.

It was an afternoon of firsts for Jones in the Patriots’ road game against the Green Bay Packers—first NFL start, first NFL touchdown, first fumble recovery and first interception (pick-six).

It didn’t matter that he was staring down one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, either. The rookie stepped onto the field in a tough environment and looked like a legitimate lockdown corner against the Packers.

His PFF grades were absolutely ridiculous this week with him taking the top spot from teammate, Jonathan Jones, as the highest-graded cornerback in the league (88.5).

Keep in mind, the sample size is smaller considering it was only his first NFL start, but regardless, it’s a promising sign for the fourth-round draft pick.

Jack also topped the list of qualified rookie defenders, and his 94.9 Week 4 coverage grade was the “fifth-highest single mark by a rookie corner in the PFF era,” per NESN’s Zack Cox.

For all of the talk surrounding coach Bill Belichick’s draft blunders, it certainly looks like he might have struck gold with Jack Jones.

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3 standout stars for Patriots in Week 4 loss to Packers

Three rookies had standout performances in the Patriots’ Week 4 Loss to the Packers

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The New England Patriots stumbled into Lambeau field to face off against the 2-1 Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Prior to the game, the Patriots found out they would be without starting QB Mac Jones, WR Jakobi Meyers, and defensive starters, DT Lawrence Guy and CB Jalen Mills.

With this news, the Patriots named veteran QB Brian Hoyer the starter. Shortly into the game, Hoyer left with an apparent head injury that forced rookie QB and 2022 fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe into action from then on out. WR Kendrick Bourne saw more snaps with Meyers out of commission, and rookie CB Jack Jones filled in for Mills.

The Patriots ultimately fell to Rodgers and the Packers 27-24 off a last-second field goal in overtime. Let’s take a look at the three stars of the game for New England (1-3) in their loss against Green Bay (3-1).

Here’s why Jack Jones saw Aaron Rodgers’ throw as disrespectful

Jack Jones was not lacking confidence following Sunday’s game

New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones made his first NFL start on Sunday afternoon. He recorded an interception against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, closing out the first half by returning the interception for a touchdown.

It was the first interception of his career and definitely put the cherry on top of what was a stellar start for a rookie defensive back. He was aggressive and seemed to fly around the football. It was a performance that the Patriots defense desperately needed, as the offense dealt with its own struggles, following the injury to Brian Hoyer.

Jones had a confident take on his interception and any quarterback that attempts to make that kind of throw against him.

“Personally, I feel like it’s disrespectful to throw an out route on me,” said Jones, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “If you can throw the ball past me to get to the receiver, I’m no good.”

Jones will need to continue to emerge as a key player in the secondary, as a strong Patriots defense gets ready to face the Detroit Lions in Week 5.

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The Morning After: Youth injects life into the Patriots’ season

Patriots’ rookies instilling hope in the team, despite a second straight loss

The New England Patriots fell to the Green Bay Packers 27-24 in overtime at Lambeau field. It was a surprisingly close game without QBs Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer, who left early in the first half with a head injury.

Bailey Zappe took over for the Patriots in his first ever live game action and threw 10 completions for 99 yards and a touchdown. It was a conservative game for sure, but Zappe managed to keep the game close and play mistake-free football.

There were some situations where Zappe’s decision-making or awareness wasn’t on point, but that is due to lack of experience more than anything. Jones went to Alabama and played against some of the best players in the world before he even stepped into the NFL.

Zappe played lower FBS competition and was thrown into a game on primetime at Lambeau field against a future Hall of Fame QB in Aaron Rodgers. He may not have won the game, but he didn’t lose it, either.