For New England Patriots Rookie Returner Marcus Jones, ‘The Distance’ Never Appears Too Far

There were 17 punts. There were 13 points.

Marcus Jones found himself involved in both totals on a frigid and gusty Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots rookie had been questionable to return due to an ankle injury. But return he would.

As punter Braden Mann’s right foot hit a line drive well beyond the New York Jets’ coverage, Jones planted his left foot and cut toward sideline with 20 seconds remaining. Only five seconds remained by the time he had woven his way into the end zone 84 yards later.

It was the first punt return for a touchdown seen around the NFL this regular season.

“My main thing is I thought they were going to let him try to kick it out of bounds due to the time on the clock,” Jones, 24, reflected during his postgame press conference. “But the first thing was trying to make sure that I followed my teammates’ blocks. Then I saw the punter and I was like, if I make him miss, then I should be able to go the distance.”

The distance has seldom looked too far for the player taken at No. 85 overall in April’s NFL draft. But in a 3-3 AFC East game that looked destined for overtime, it was the distance between 6-4 and 5-5.

According to NFL Research, Sunday marked first game in at least the last 40 seasons in which the first touchdown scored came in the final minute on defense or special teams. According to Next Gen Stats, the play increased New England’s chances of defeating New York by 47.8%, the highest win probability added on a punt return since tracking began in 2016.

It wasn’t uncharted territory for the reigning consensus All-American, Paul Hornung Award winner and AAC Special Teams Player of the Year, either.

Jones had a 100-yard return with 30 seconds left in an upset win over Southern Methodist last fall. Between kickoff and punt returns alone, the transfer from Troy to Houston finished his collegiate career with nine touchdowns, tying Boise State product Avery Williams and Washington product Dante Pettis for the NCAA record.

“He’s fast. He’s quick,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters following the 10-3 final. “He returned punts and kickoffs down there. He also played some offense. He was converted to receiver. He was an explosive playmaker that ended up moving to defense, played inside, played outside and returned kicks. He did all those in college. He’s a good player.”

Despite preseason flashes, the 5-foot-8, 185-pound cornerback had to wait his turn to return. Jones was a healthy inactive versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in September as Myles Bryant stood back deep. His initial pro kickoffs were fielded the following week versus the Baltimore Ravens, and as the calendar flipped to October, his initial pro punts were fielded versus the Green Bay Packers.

“I think Troy Brown has done a great job with him,” said Belichick. “Where Marcus was when he got here and where he is now are — they’re an ocean apart. Troy has really done a good job with the ball handling, ball catching, making the first guy miss, ball security, setting up blocks, having vision on the ball, the gunner, playing the wind, so forth. Marcus — we didn’t feel like he was quite ready at the beginning of the year. We went with Myles. Then as Marcus got better and gained more experience and confidence and then performed well, then he’s handled all the return game for a number of weeks now.”

Among players who have fielded multiple punts this fall, Jones currently ranks second in the NFL with an average of 16.6 yards per return. He has also averaged 24.3 yards per kickoff with a long of 37. Both responsibilities were in the hands of Gunner Olszewski in recent Patriots campaigns before the former first-team All-Pro was not tendered as a restricted free agent in March.

“Special teams is definitely a big role,” added Jones. “It’s longer than an average offensive and defensive play. And usually, you’re out there for one play and most people give it their all every single time they go out there. It’s very important for the field-position aspect of the game.”

That was clear at the New England 16-yard line.