Likes and dislikes from New England Patriots Week 4 loss
Dislike: Cyrus Jones’ shaky returning
Even at the time, Jones’ indecision on the opening kickoff seemed like a sign of bad things to come for the Patriots. And sure enough, the Patriots never recovered from Jones nearly kneeling down on the one-yard line; surely, special teams ace Matthew Slater will be ripping into the rookie this week. Forcing Brissett to start inside his own 10-yard line was brutal.
Jones didn’t do much better on his next kick return, running into his blocker and not making it past the 10-yard line once again. It was a pretty ugly return, to say the least.
At the tail end of the game, Jones muffed a fair catch, nearly causing a turnover that would have caused even more frustration on the Patriots’ sideline.
From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Jones was nervous every time he went back to receive a kick or punt. Nerves are understandable as a rookie, but come on, it’s Week 4; Jones has a job to do, and he didn’t fulfill his role on Sunday.
Next: Dislike: 3rd down inefficiency