Eric Rowe Helped The Patriots Shut Down A.J. Green Yesterday
But I’d be lying if I said this didn’t worry me a little– the Patriots turned Patrick Chung into a respectable defensive back, so maybe they see something in Rowe that the Eagles don’t.
Cornerback Eric Rowe helped make a difference yesterday after a long wait for his Patriots debut.
The Pats, who beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 35-17, at Gillette Stadium, mixed up their coverages against wide receiver A.J. Green, and Rowe was part of the adjustment plan in the second half. Green led the Bengals with six catches for 88 yards, but he only caught two balls for 32 yards after halftime.
“It felt great just getting back on the field, getting that adrenaline rush again, especially with the challenge of going against A.J. Green,” Rowe said. “I missed that feeling.”
The 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pounder is no stranger to taking on big assignments (literally and figuratively) and he passed Sunday’s test with flying colors, helping to lead a second-half shutdown of Green and the Bengals in New England’s 35-17 victory.
Rowe definitely deserves more opportunities after personally holding Green to one catch for 9 yards on two targets in the second half. Rowe also let up a 1-yard catch to Bengals receiver James Wright.
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H/T to reader Jon
