7:01 PM ET
Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer
- Covered Patriots since 1997
- Joined ESPN successful 2009
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There had not been a punt instrumentality for a touchdown crossed the NFL this play until New England Patriots rookie Marcus Jones delivered 1 Sunday -- and it couldn't person travel successful much breathtaking fashion.
Jones' 84-yard instrumentality for a touchdown, successful which helium crossed the goal-line with 5 seconds remaining successful regulation, shockingly lifted the New England Patriots past the visiting New York Jets 10-3 astatine windy Gillette Stadium.
"I've ne'er been portion of a crippled similar that astatine immoderate level of football," said Patriots skipper Matthew Slater, the 15-year-veteran and longest-tenured subordinate connected the team.
"How that crippled ended was phenomenal," added Patriots skipper Deatrich Wise Jr. "I deliberation it was astir similar a movie publication successful a sense. I deliberation of each the shot movies -- "Rudy," "Any Given Sunday" and "Remember the Titans" -- this beats it."
The past clip determination was a lead-changing punt-return touchdown successful the last 30 seconds of regularisation came successful 2010, erstwhile the Eagles' DeSean Jackson had a 65-yard instrumentality arsenic clip expired.
As for what unfolded Sunday successful Foxborough, Jones said helium was amazed to person the accidental due to the fact that the Jets' Braden Mann had been punting the shot person to the sideline connected a time successful which upwind gusts neared 20 miles per hour.
Jones, who led each of the NCAA with 2 punt instrumentality touchdowns successful 2021 arsenic a elder astatine the University of Houston, backtracked to the Patriots' 16-yard enactment connected Mann's 52-yard punt down the mediate of the field.
He past ran toward the close sideline, gathering up velocity arsenic helium moved up the field, earlier cutting to the wrong astir the 50-yard enactment arsenic Mann dove successful an effort to bring him down. Jones, who sprinted down the mediate of the field, wasn't touched.
"My archetypal happening was shot security, making definite I tracked the ball, due to the fact that the upwind was going brainsick retired there," the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Jones said. "Without my teammates retired there, that would person been a hard play to make. I was pursuing my teammates' blocking and past saw the punter, and was similar 'If I marque him miss, I should beryllium capable to spell the distance.'"
The play marked the archetypal kickoff oregon punt instrumentality touchdown for the Patriots successful a 4th fourth since Week 11 of the 2002 play -- erstwhile Kevin Faulk returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown.
It is the archetypal punt instrumentality touchdown for the Patriots successful a 4th fourth since David Meggett successful 1996, against the New York Giants.
Jones had missed 2 punt returns earlier successful the 2nd fractional owed to an ankle wounded that helium said required him to beryllium taped. He said portion of what it a peculiar time was that his parents, Marc and Viola, attended their archetypal NFL crippled successful Foxborough together.
The Patriots mightiness person been fortunate that the touchdown wasn't nullified by a punishment for a artifact successful the back, arsenic linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. made interaction with Jets peculiar teams skipper Justin Hardee astatine astir the Jets' 15-yard line.
Asked if helium believed it was a penalty, Hardee said: "Yeah, I judge so, but astatine the extremity of the day, [Jones] shouldn't person got that acold with the return. That's connected me. The penalty, that's successful the ref's hands. Obviously they didn't consciousness similar it was a penalty. So I instrumentality it connected the chin similar a man. I'm bosom broke disconnected it. I consciousness similar I fto my squad down."
Wilson Sr. felt the artifact was legal.
"As I was running, I felt assured that I was successful beforehand of him. That's wherefore I blocked him the time I did," helium said, adding that helium would person utilized much of a one-armed propulsion method alternatively of a full-fledged blow.
Jets manager Robert Saleh said Mann had handled the elements good up to that point, but connected his 10th effort of the day, "he hung 1 retired successful the middle."
Mann, successful his 3rd play retired of Texas A&M, added: "It could've been a amended punt. It was a small agelong and low, and I astir apt needed to get it retired of bounds, oregon bent it up determination for my gunners to cover."
The Jets (6-4) big the Chicago Bears connected Sunday.
The Patriots, who amended to 6-4 with their 14th consecutive triumph implicit the Jets, sojourn the Minnesota Vikings connected Thursday night.
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