Patriots CB avoids fine for devastating hit that concussed Josh Allen

The NFL seems OK with what New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones did to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen last week. Jones will not receive a fine or suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit that concussed Allen in the Patriots’ Week 4 win.

Allen attempted to rush for a first down in the second half. Two Patriots converged on Allen at once. With safety Duron Harmon beginning to bring the quarterback down, Jones arrived to finish off Allen. But because Allen was falling forward, Jones’ hit was off the mark, and his helmet met Allen’s. For a few scary moments, Allen was motionless and face-down on the turf. He eventually walked off the field and went into concussion protocol.

While Jones’ hit was clearly illegal — and was flagged accordingly — it did not seem to be an intentionally malicious one. Many fans, media members, players and coaches were livid at the time. Bills coach Sean McDermott, in particular, was not happy about the hit after the game.

“There’s no room in football for that,” McDermott said Sept. 29 during a postgame presser. “It is a shame to see a player like Josh, or any player for that matter, go down on a hit like that.”

He added: “I thought he should have been thrown out.”

On the following Monday, after he’d had a chance to review the hit on film, he did not have anything to add to those remarks. Bill Belichick backed Jones for the hit, and said “there isn’t much to tell (Jones) to do differently.”

Jones, meanwhile, said after the game that he didn’t mean to injure Allen. Jones told Patriots Wire on Friday that he spoke to Allen to apologize for the hit, but wouldn’t discuss what they said to each other.

It’s a difficult situation for the NFL, which wants to provide safety for its players and has shown a history of protecting its quarterbacks, in particular, with rule-changes. But this wasn’t a case where the league could step in.