Cornerbacks believe they’re up to the challenge
FOXBOROUGH — Earlier this season, the Patriots were just scraping by at cornerback, utilizing the back end of the depth chart while waiting for some of their key players to get healthy.
Now, after an impressive outing against Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs ,and the Bills’ passing game, the New England cornerbacks are looking to keep that momentum moving forward Sunday against one of the league’s premier wide receiving duos, Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
“This week is going to be a good matchup for us, we can see where we’re at as a secondary,” said J.C. Jackson.
Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones started at cornerback in Week 2 against the Dolphins, and working with the rest of the secondary, managed to slow Hill, who had just 40 receiving yards, a season low.
But even after Gonzalez and Jones were lost for the season because of shoulder injuries, there’s still cause of optimism, because of three differencemakers who weren’t in the lineup for New England in Week 2: Jackson has since been acquired from the Chargers, while Jonathan Jones and Jack Jones have returned to action. The trio has helped stabilize the Patriots’ pass defense, and as a result, New England is deeper at corner than it was in the first matchup with the Dolphins.
“I feel like we have the potential to have one of the best secondaries in the league with this defense,” Jackson said. “We just have to play up to that.”
Miami’s offense is filled with playmakers, but Hill is on another level.
The speedster leads the NFL with 902 receiving yards and is third with 53 catches. His 17 yards per catch is tops among all players with 40 or more receptions, and he leads the league with 351 yards after the catch. He’s complemented by Waddle, who has 30 catches for 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“They have the best offense right now in the game,” Jackson said of the Dolphins, who average 34.3 points per game, the most in the NFL. “We’re going to be prepared for it.”
“There are a lot of good receivers out there in the league, [but] this group of receivers coming up, they’re one of the top ones — the No. 1 offense in the league,” said Jack Jones. “We definitely have to go out there and execute.”
The game plan? Try to be as physical with them as possible.
“[Miami] is like a track team, they have a bunch of fast guys,” Jackson said. “We have to be physical. We have to get our hands on and slow these guys down.”
There are some questions about the health of the Dolphins receivers, as Hill missed Wednesday’s practice with what the team called a hip injury, and was limited on Thursday. Waddle was limited Wednesday and Thursday because of a back injury he sustained in last week’s loss to the Eagles.
Regardless, when it comes to any talk of Hill not playing or being at something less than 100 percent, the Patriots cornerbacks aren’t buying it.
“Oh, we’re preparing for him to play,” Jackson said.
“One hundred percent,” said Jonathan Jones. “We’re preparing for him to be out there. He’s a competitor. I know he’s going to do everything he can to be out there.
“Don’t believe the hype,” Jack Jones added with a laugh when asked about Hill’s health. “We expect him to be out there on Sunday.”
Taking attendance
Running back Ty Montgomery (personal) and offensive lineman Calvin Anderson (illness) were not spotted at the start of practice, but defensive end Keion White (concussion) was in attendance . . . Meanwhile, Hill was back at practice with the Dolphins and was one of 11 players classified as limited, a group that included Waddle (back) and running back Raheem Mostert (ankle) . . . Linebacker Jahlani Tavai spoke with reporters about the rebuilding efforts following the deadly wildfires that ravaged Hawaii in August. “I would say that it’s still pretty bad out there,” he said. “Just trying to figure out ways to raise money.” Tavai welcomed the support of the Red Cross, but encouraged people to visit RebuildingMaui.org, set up by several NFL players who are Hawaiian natives. “That money that they’re going to be raising is going directly to the families that were affected,” Tavai said. He also hopes that New Balance will help him out “since they’re a home team out here for us, based out of Boston. So hopefully they hear this.” . . . Tavai was asked about the quote from center David Andrews, who called defensive back Jabrill Peppers a “psychopath” after last Sunday’s win over the Bills. “Oh, he is — 100 percent,” said Tavai. “And that’s by far the best kind of defensive teammate you want. You want some guys on the defense who are just ready to run into a wall. That’s definitely the type of players that we love to have and love to run around with.”