Give Jones time

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians put his defense on notice after the Rams loss. He said the lack of sacks and “getting home” with pressure was most troubling to him when it comes to the Bucs defense.

So, it’s almost a sure-bet defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will bring the heat on Jones and try to help out the secondary with pressure and sacks.

Thus far, Jones has seen his fair share of pressure via the pass rush and blitzes. Much of that is due to the fact the Patriots have played several units, most notably Miami and New Orleans, that blitz a ton regardless of the quarterback.

Bowles can dial up pressure just with his front alone, with Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh, and William Gholston.

He can also do that by sending an array of blitzers.

The Patriots won’t have James White for the remainder of the season due to the hip injury he suffered last week, so whether it’s Damien Harris, Brandon Bolden, J.J. Taylor or Rhamondre Stevenson, it’s imperative they keep Jones clean.

Said McDaniels: “We want to protect the quarterback. We want to keep them off of him. We want to get the ball into the playmakers’ hands without the quarterback having to take as many hits as we did.”