How Patriots CB Bademosi can impact Sunday’s AFC Championship Game

You never know when your number is going to be called, and it looks like Jonathan Bademosi will get that call from the Patriots for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.

Jonathan Jones is out for the rest of the season, and now it could be Johnson Bademosi’s time to shine for the New England Patriots.

Sometimes in the playoffs, it’s not the play of the big stars that make the difference in a game. Instead, the “others” have to step up and make plays. Cornerback Johnson Bademosi could be one of those players on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

As stated previously, the Patriots will be without corner Jonathan Jones, who has been placed on IR after an injury in last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans. Now, all signs are pointing towards Johnson Bademosi being active during the AFC Championship Game. If he is, he could be more of a factor than the average fan might think.

Bademosi may get some play as a cornerback, and he appeared in all 16 regular season games for New England with 3 starts. He tallied 15 tackles and had 1 pass defended on the year. Bademosi though could make more of an impact on special teams like Jones did for the Patriots. Of course, Matthew Slater is the GOAT in terms of Patriots special teams players, but Bademosi can make an impact as well.

In the 2017 regular season, Bademosi was in for 284 snaps on special teams, more than 60% of the teams total. He saw those numbers actually rise down the stretch as well. He played over 74% of the Patriots special teams snaps in every game from week 11 through week 17, with a high of 88.2% against Miami in week 13. Clearly, the Patriots view Johnson Bademosi as a key special teams player, and that should continue for the AFC title game. Don’t be surprised if you see Bademosi force a fumble, or down the ball inside the 5 following a Ryan Allen punt on Sunday.

Next: Brady says "We'll see" about status for Sunday

Bademosi and the Patriots will face the Jaguars on Sunday at Gillette Stadium with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The winner will take on either the Vikings or Eagles in Minnesota about two weeks from now.