FOXBORO, Mass. — No one in the NFL can keep up with Tyreek Hill’s speed, but if anyone can slow the Dolphins wide receiver down, it’s Patriots speedy cornerback Jonathan Jones.
The Patriots have played against Hill seven times during his All-Pro career. He hasn’t gained over 100 receiving yards in a game against the Patriots since 2018 and averaged 74.5 yards per game against the Pats last season. He’s averaged 106.9 yards per game as a member of the Dolphins.
Jones certainly doesn’t cover Hill alone. It’s a full-team effort, but the veteran cornerback knows better than most people in the NFL how to defend him. He’ll have another crack at it Sunday when the Patriots play the Dolphins.
“You just try to be physical,” Jones said. “You try to hit him when you can, slow him down, try to match speed with speed. That’s your best bet.”
Jones has 36 total catches for 550 yards with five touchdowns in seven games against the Patriots.
And despite Jones’ relative success against the speedster, he still has a great deal of respect for Hill.
“He has an incredible skill set,” Jones said. “It’s just one of those things, a guy like that, he’s explosive. He can take a 3-yard pass and take it the distance. He keeps the defense on its toes on every play.”
Dolphins third-year pro Jaylen Waddle is another one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL. The Dolphins are 3-1 against the Patriots since he entered the NFL. He’s put up 16 catches on 22 targets for 209 yards with three touchdowns in four games against the Patriots since coming out of Alabama where he was one of QB Mac Jones’ favorite targets.
“That whole unit, they stretch defenses out when you play zone,” Jones said. “When you play man, you’re running around all day chasing them. They just have tremendous skillset between the two of them. They can stretch the field, and Waddle’s not slow either. So you have both sides to do.”
Jones has actually known Hill since high school. They’re both from Georgia and, unsurprisingly, ran track. Jones said Hill ran the 200M while he did hurdles.
The two have a friendly rivalry.
“So, it’s kind of like, ‘Hey, how are you doing? Let’s get to work.’”
