GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The way safety Josh Jones played on Sunday, it’s hard to fathom that Green Bay Packers coaches didn’t use him for a single snap on defense just two weeks earlier in the regular-season opener.

Now it’s impossible to come up with a reason not to play him.

The second-round draft pick carved out what should be a permanent role in defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ system with a 12-tackle, two-sack performance in Green Bay's overtime victory over the Bengals. He played all 61 defensive snaps. And to think it took an injury to Kentrell Brice a week earlier in Atlanta for Jones to even get on the field.

“He was fantastic; he really was,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “It’s fun to watch him play and get confident. For young players like that, and for Josh especially not having a ton of reps with Brice obviously in the role he plays for us being out there a bunch, with [linebacker] Jake Ryan down, we had to play a bunch of safeties, and he got a lot of action and he made the most of it. He was huge for us with the sacks, with the stops, with the coverage. I’m really happy for him. It was the stuff that we saw in training camp. We’ve seen this from him.”

No one was around the ball as much as Jones during the offseason practices. He jumped out in the helmets-and-shorts practices of OTAs and again in training camp when the pads went on. In fact, he recorded his first interception of camp on just the second day of full-contact drills.

With Brice (groin) and Ryan (hamstring, concussion) inactive against the Bengals, Capers played four safeties at the same time. For most of the game, Jones lined up at inside linebacker, where fellow safety Morgan Burnett had played in the “nitro” package the first two weeks. With Jones inside, Burnett moved to the slot position and Marwin Evans lined up deep alongside Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

“We talk about this in training camp and things like that,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Morgan Burnett is more than a safety. He’s a multiposition player. It’s just utilizing our players the best we can and getting Josh Jones on the field. I know he had a very productive day, and you can’t say enough. You’ve got to play your young players early in the season.”

Both Jones and fellow second-round pick Kevin King played the entire game against the Bengals. King drew the assignment of shadowing A.J. Green for most of the game. Although Green had a big day -- 10 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown -- Jones helped out at times. He tackled Green after 6 yards on second-and-12 on the second play of overtime, then wrapped up tight end Tyler Kroft with a two-armed tackle around the waist for a 1-yard gain on third-and-6 to force the punt that set up the Packers’ game-winning drive.

Both of Jones’ sacks came in the second half on critical third-down stops.

“It’s satisfying to know that your preparation paid off, but this is a long season,” Jones said. “This is just one game. I expect to continue to do that throughout this season. Help this team get to the main goal and you guys obviously know what that is.”