Keep up with Jones
Hurting secondary will be put to test
FOXBORO — The Patriots may soon found out the true state of their depth at cornerback.
Stephon Gilmore (concussion) and Eric Rowe (groin) haven’t practiced this week, which leaves their status in serious doubt for Sunday night when the Patriots host the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium.
Rowe almost certainly won’t be available, regardless of his status today for the final practice of the week. As for Gilmore, his participation level will be the most important storyline today, as it’s been at least 2008 since a Patriot has missed a week of practice but played in the ensuing game. That would in turn thrust
Johnson Bademosi and Jonathan Jones into more prominent roles alongside Malcolm Butler.
“It’s the next-man-up mentality,” Butler said. “Those guys will be ready.”
Bademosi started Sunday against the Jets, which were his first defensive snaps of the season, and he only allowed two catches for 23 yards. Jones played in nickel-corner packages and surrendered a 30-yard catch on two targets. He was in coverage for the final incompletion of the game.
If Bademosi is up again, he’ll be among the group tasked with slowing down Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.
“He’s an amazing player,” Bademosi said. “We all know what he is capable of. As a defense, we have to be prepared.”
One thing is certain. Bademosi doesn’t lack selfconfidence, and that was reinforced this week when his teammates and coaches praised his work against the Jets.
“It was a great opportunity,” Bademosi said. “The coaches did a great job of preparing me and had the trust in my teammates. We were able to communicate well, so I had fun out there.
“You’ve got to believe in yourself. I’m confident in my abilities. I work hard, and I trust my preparation.”
Jones has 25 receptions for 367 yards this season, but he hasn’t scored a touchdown. The Patriots, who rank last in the league in pass defense, have yielded 14 touchdowns through the air, and they know Jones will make some plays regardless of who is covering him.
“That dude is a beast,” safety Patrick Chung said. “He is one of the best players in the league, period, at any position. To be able to slow him down, he is going to have his plays. I’ll guarantee it. If we can limit his plays, we’ll be all right.”
Rowe hasn’t practiced since he aggravated a groin injury three weeks ago against the Panthers. Even if he returned to practice today, it’s almost certainly with next week’s game in mind.
Gilmore might have suffered the concussion when he slammed the back of his head to the ground while covering a first-quarter incompletion against the Buccaneers, but he didn’t appear on the injury report until Saturday. At this point, it might be asking a lot for Gilmore to pass multiple stages of the five-step concussion protocol in time for Sunday, but head injuries are often unpredictable.
If Bademosi and Jones are out there vs. the Falcons, they’ll be prepared to be tested far more frequently than they were last week by Josh McCown. Their performance may very well dictate the outcome of the game.
“It all comes down to execution,” Butler said. “We’ve got to get out there and just play ball.”
Wrap it up
Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett had his left knee heavily wrapped in ice as he left the training room after practice, though the knee hasn’t been listed on the injury report since Week 4.
Linebacker Elandon Roberts (ankle) has been present for the media window of practice in each of the past two days, but the Patriots have listed him as a non-participant for both workouts.
Game time
Chung lost a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to a reporter, so he had to pay up by granting a group interview. Chung flashed scissors to the reporter’s rock.
After a couple minutes, Chung was asked if he had already been second-guessing his decision to not go with paper and he jokingly replied, “Get out of my face.” All in good fun in an otherwise slow day.