Defending Tyreek Hill might have just gotten a lot harder for the Patriots

Cornerback Jonathan Jones is dealing with an ankle injury.

The New England Patriots will go up against one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses this week, but there are some questions about how they will defend its most productive weapon.

Usually, the job of covering Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill would fall to speedy Jonathan Jones. However, the veteran cornerback is currently dealing with an ankle injury: he was limited in practice on Thursday and not spotted at all during the 10-minute media window early on during Friday’s session.

While the final injury report of the week will provide clarity on Jones’ participation status and outlook for the game versus Miami, the fact that he is banged up is certainly not ideal. Even if he is good to go for Sunday night, having him at less than a 100 percent right now might make the challenge a much more difficult one.

Jones, after all, has some experience going up against Hill. Including the wideout’s time in Kansas City, the two have shared the field on seven occasions — including twice last year.

In 2022 — which was Hill’s first season as a Dolphin — he was limited to four catches on nine targets for 50 yards with an interception when going up against Jones, according to Pro Football Focus. For comparison, the rest of New England’s defense allowed eight of 10 passes to be completed for a combined 99 yards.

The expectation entering this week was that Jones would again be the main guy for this matchup. With his availability in question now, however, the Patriots might have to look elsewhere.

Sophomore Marcus Jones appears to be prime candidate to draw the assignment in case Jones is either unavailable or unable to play his usual high number of snaps. Regardless of his status, though, the team might still invest extra resources to support whoever is up against Hill after his 11-catch, 215-yard, two-touchdown performance in Miami’s season opener versus the Los Angeles Chargers.

As for Hill, he told reporters on Friday that his mindset would not be impacted by the coverage thrown at him.

“I’m still going to dominate that, no matter what,” he said. “I still got a job to do, and that’s to run my route. Put two guys on me, one guy on me, three guys on me, I’m still going to run my route to get open.”

Patriots-Dolphins at Gillette Stadium is set for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 17.