Marcus Jones has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after making history against the Carolina Panthers.
The all-purpose New England Patriots cornerback returned three punts last Sunday at Gillette
Stadium. Those returns became 167 yards — a single-game franchise record — as well as a visit to the end zone with his side down 6-0 in the first quarter.
Veteran punter Sam Martin’s initial launch of the afternoon did not give way to a fair catch. The 5-foot-8, 188-pound Jones fielded it at the 13-yard line instead, weaving in and out of troubling seas for an 87-yard touchdown.
Much to the surprise of the Panthers. The escape started a surge of 42 unanswered points for the Patriots.
Another return nearly went the distance in the second quarter. It saw the 26-year-old Jones surf the width of the field, right to left, to find 61 yards before being tripped up by Carolina’s 35-year-old specialist. But 111.91 total yards had been covered by the time the waves crashed, according to Next Gen Stats, bringing New England’s offense back on in the red zone.
“I think that’s what we’ve been looking for,” head coach Mike Vrabel said postgame on Sunday. “I talked about that throughout training camp and how those return units need to be a weapon for us. To be able to do that on the punt return, fantastic effort by Marcus and everybody else out there. I think a lot of that was just his own individual will, skill, and effort. Again, that has to be a weapon. It was something that we felt like could be through this season and getting ready for this year.”
The lone selection left from the 2022 Patriots draft class, Jones was voted a team captain out of training camp. The former Paul Hornung Award winner by way of Troy and Houston arrived in Foxborough at No. 85 overall. Beginning his tenure with first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie, he has appeared in 35 games and started 17.
Jones has accounted for 118 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and a touchdown at cornerback. He’s added one touchdown as a wide receiver and now two as a punt returner.
His NFL career includes 1,189 snaps on defense, 24 snaps on offense and 244 snaps on special teams.
Patriots coordinator Jeremy Springer’s group finished September with two out of four of AFC Special Teams Player of the Week winners. Previously, running back Antonio Gibson got the call after amassing 171 yards on kick returns against the Miami Dolphins, led by a 90-yard touchdown.
