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Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones ruled out for Bills game

What is the biggest factor for the Patriots vs. the Bills?
Nora Princiotti and Ben Volin break down the Patriots' chances against the surprising Bills. (Produced by Lucie McCormick for the Globe)

FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots will have a pivotal matchup against the Buffalo Bills without their top slot cornerback.

Jonathan Jones was ruled out for Saturday’s game because of a groin injury.

Jones suffered the injury last week in the Patriots’ win over Cincinnati. It kept him out of practice all week.

Jones’s versatility has made him an important part of the defense. In 14 games this season, he has 46 tackles with eight passes defended.

Jones’s responsibility likely would have been to cover Bills receiver Cole Beasley, who’s caught 60 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns this season. With Jones out, rookie cornerback Joejuan Williams could play a larger role in the Patriots’ plans.

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The Patriots also listed linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee), cornerback Jason McCourty (groin), wide receiver Julian Edelman (knee/shoulder), and linebacker Jamie Collins (shoulder) as limited.

Edelman will be ready

It’s no secret that Edelman has put up the best numbers of his career this season despite playing through myriad injuries.

He’s caught 92 passes for 1,019 yards and six touchdowns while dealing with knee, shoulder, and chest injuries. But Edelman had no desire to make those injuries the focal point.

When asked about the role the medical staff has played in keeping players healthy, Edelman said, “Not answering questions about the medical staff.”

Julian Edelman is closing in on 100 receptions.Barry Chin/Globe Staff

But Patriots quarterback Tom Brady praised Edelman for always being available.

“He’s a pretty tough guy,” Brady said. “He wants to be out there competing and playing, and I think everyone has a lot of respect for him for that. He’s a tough guy. Good to have him out there.”

Edelman caught just two passes for 9 yards last week against the Bengals, both season lows. He was targeted just five times, which Brady hopes to change this week.

“When he gets going, it’s good for all of us,” Brady said. “Got to find ways to get him the ball, and he’s been doing a good job for us all year. He’ll need to do it this week.”

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The Patriots can clinch the AFC East with a win over the Bills, which has heightened the focus level this week.

“This is the time, if you play football, this is why you play football is for these types of games,” Edelman said. “It’s a big-time game against a very, very good opponent that’s playing very well, so it’s one of those things where if you’re not urgent then . . . you’re in the wrong job.”

Challenge for offense

In Week 4, the Patriots were able to get out of Buffalo with a win despite scrounging up just 224 yards of total offense. Brady completed just 18 of his 39 passes and only two of them went for more than 25 yards, Sony Michel could only squeeze 63 yards out of his 17 carries, and the Pats punted on nine of their 13 drives.

The Bills have the NFL’s second-best defense in terms of scoring, behind the Patriots, and third-best in terms of yardage behind New England and the 49ers. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said what’s been key for Buffalo has been remaining injury-free most of the season.

“I think it’s rare,” Belichick said. “I mean, they virtually have had no injuries.”

Studying the film, the Bills’ no-frills defense looks the same as it did when the teams met in September.

“It’s the exact same — it’s really the same players. [Tackle Ed] Oliver’s obviously gained a lot of experience and he’s a good player, but it’s really pretty much the same group,” Belichick said.

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Belichick said coach Sean McDermott’s scheme has enough wrinkles to keep offenses off-balance.

“You just don’t know exactly what you’re going to get schematically and they do a very good job of disguising what they do, so that they look the same, but they’re not the same,” he said. “And they combine that with some defensive line movement and obviously some very good players. And so, that’s why they’re good. They’re well-coached, they have good players, they’re sound, they don’t give up big plays. It’s hard to string a lot of good plays together against that defense.”


Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.