Patriots counting on Jonathan Jones again in secondary in Super Bowl rematch with Falcons

New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones tries to keep Houston Texans wide receiver Bruce Ellington from making a catch during an NFL game on Sept. 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass.

For the second straight game, the New England Patriots will be without injured cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe and will be expecting special-teamers Jonathan Jones and Johnson Bademosi to step up on defense.

Unlike last week, when New England faced the New York Jets' young receiving corps and journeyman quarterback Josh McCown, the Patriots will play the Atlanta Falcons with All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones and 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan at quarterback on Sunday night.

The Patriots beat the Jets 24-17, but McCown became the sixth quarterback in New England's six games this season to throw for 300 yards. The Patriots are the first team in NFL history to allow six consecutive 300-yard passers.

Bademosi hadn't played a down on defense for New England this season before starting and playing 73 snaps against the Jets.

A former Auburn standout, Jonathan Jones played only three defensive snaps in the Patriots' season-opening game, but he's seen defensive duty with regularity since. With Rowe missing three games, Jones has gotten his primary work at slot corner and has played 135 defensive snaps in the past five games.

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In the Patriots' 19-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 5, Jones broke up a pass in the end zone on the final snap of the game.

"He's been called on numerous times in multiple positions," New England coach Bill Belichick said of Jones. "He's played outside, he's played inside, he's played the nickel, the dime and played on the perimeter and done a lot of things for us in the kicking game. He's a tough kid. He works hard. He's ready to go every day. He gives you a great day's work on the practice field and in the games."

Former West Alabama standout Malcolm Butler was a second-team All-Pro selection last season at cornerback for New England, but he's at least five inches shorter than Julio Jones.

In New England's 34-28 victory over Atlanta in Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, the Patriots gave primary coverage duties on Jones to Rowe and Logan Ryan. Rowe won't play on Sunday, and Ryan already has - for the Tennessee Titans.

Expect safety Devon McCourty to be on Jones helping whichever cornerback draws the assignment.

"If you're on the field, you're going to have to chip in to slow down Julio Jones," McCourty said. "All of us are going to have to. So it's not just Bademosi. It's not just Malcolm or (Patrick) Chung or J. Jones. It's all of us that are on the field. I think that's been the good thing for us through the years defensively is when we have a game plan and we all execute it, it gives us a chance -- not just one guy doing his job. It has to be all of us in the secondary kind of knowing what we're doing as a game plan, and that will be key."

In the Super Bowl, Julio Jones caught four passes for 87 yards. New England made all four catches tough for him and allowed Ryan to throw to the former Alabama standout only those four times.

The Falcons and Patriots kick off at 7:30 p.m. CDT Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. NBC will televise the game.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.

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