The Light Bulb Is Finally Coming On For Pat Jones II
Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
In one form or another, we all put faith in something or someone. I have faith that the Vikings will bring home a Lombardi Trophy someday. Maybe it hasn’t worked yet, but the law of averages says it’s only a matter of time before it happens. We live in a world where the Detroit Lions won a playoff game last year, so really, anything should be possible.
As anyone who shares my belief that the Vikings will win a Super Bowl, faith sometimes requires patience. And the Vikings know how to have patience, as we’re seeing their long-standing, seemingly misplaced faith in Pat Jones II finally starting to pay off. The Rick Spielman regime first showed faith in Jones by drafting him in the third round of the 2021 Draft. Third-round picks obviously don’t have the pedigree of their first-round counterparts, but they’re expected to become contributors.
Especially when you look at Jones’ physical gifts, which are undeniable. Listed at 6’5” and 264 pounds, he is an imposing player with a similar physique to former Viking Danielle Hunter. Scouts salivate over arm length, and Jones’ 32 7/8” arms are perfect for creating separation, shedding blocks, and disrupting a quarterback’s timing and passing windows.
But through three years, all Jones could muster was an underwhelming 5.0 sacks. At least to fans, his destiny seemed to be little more than a special teams player and rotational edge-rusher. While being on a rookie contract made keeping Jones around an easy decision, it’s easy to see a scenario where the Vikings lost their patience and stopped putting as much energy into his development. Especially since he was a product of the old regime.
That would have been a shame, because the light bulb is finally starting to come on for Jones.
After Week 2, Jones is tied with Kelon White for the second-most sacks in the NFL with 4.0 sacks, already nearly doubling his career total. And Vikings fans know well what can happen once a defensive player’s rapid upward trajectory starts. We’ve seen players like Hunter, E.J. Henderson, Everson Griffen, Brian Robison, and Josh Metellus all go from mid-to-late-round picks to impact players after the light bulb turns on.
Jones deserves a lot of praise for putting in the work to hit a new level. He always had high-end athleticism, strong footwork, and a great spin move, but his weakness coming out of the draft was his lack of motor. That lack of urgency will almost always negate a player’s good qualities when going against the best of the best in the NFL. But in Week 1 against the New York Giants, we saw what happens when you pair that spin move with an improved motor. Both were on full display on his second sack of the game, which ended the Giants’ last drive:
Daniel Jones flushes out of the pocket unnecessarily and goes right into Pat Jones for Jones' second sack of the day on the Giants' final offensive play. pic.twitter.com/QUm4DGdsFo
— Matt Fries (@FriesFootball) September 11, 2024
Once Jones improved his work ethic, he suddenly became an incredible piece of clay for Brian Flores to mold. And make no mistake, Flores is thrilled to scheme up plays to unleash Jones on the rest of the NFL.
In the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, Flores called a blitz with a five-man rush. Jihad Ward bull-rushed between the center and guard, causing a double team, which forced All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams to pick up a blitzing Ivan Pace Jr. As a result, Jones got to enjoy a free run at Brock Purdy for a sack.
Possibly my favorite call of the day.
"Purdy looks right. Pumps. Gets sacked again. By the same guy! Pat Jones II! They call him Pat Jones II because he gets two sacks every game!?" pic.twitter.com/VfkeBiHl4z
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) September 15, 2024
Maybe you don’t want to give Jones too much credit for a free run, but we see his maturation on this play. Elusive quarterbacks can escape with pump fakes, side steps, or hesitations. This can be effective when rushers are going full-speed, with quarterbacks using their momentum against them. Nothing Purdy did fooled Jones, who didn’t over-pursue and relied on his fundamentals. We see him hesitate enough to take the right angle, use a calculated burst to get to Purdy, and execute a textbook tackle.
Jones also seems to have a sense for the moment, with his playmaking coming at opportune times. Two of his four sacks have been on third downs that stalled opponents drives. One of those sacks was Williams, when Jones used his hands to gain leverage and drove Williams back into Purdy, then released from Williams to gain the sack.
Pat Jones II putting Hall of Famer Trent Williams in the spin cycle for a pressure, then bull rushing him and winding up with a sack pic.twitter.com/sy7E9hYqPE
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 16, 2024
Jones’ early season success doesn’t come without flaws. Pro Football Focus has given him a 59.9 pass-rush grade, which seems more mediocre than his gaudy sack totals. Still, it makes sense, as he has only one additional pressure outside of his four sacks. Kudos to Jones, though, has been incredibly strong in the run game, earning an 82.8 PFF grade. That’s the kind of versatility Flores loves from his players.
That’s how a player who was once a risk of being cut in training camp can transform into a consistent producer. The Vikings have shown faith through patience with Jones, and he is yielding rewards for that faith in him by performing well. Now it is time for Jones to continue to take steps and keep going on that upward trajectory. It is time to let his early-season success grow into a something Vikings fans can rely on going forward.
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