FOXBORO – All both staff wanted was one nice play, any nice play, with the Patriots and Jets locked in a 3-3 impasse for what appeared like an eternity of their pivotal divisional matchup Sunday.
Enter Marcus Jones.
The rookie cornerback donned his hero cape, and got here up that magical play. He obliged with what was, for all intents and functions, an 84-yard walk-off punt return for a landing.
It was the play of the sport, and what may very properly show the play of the season, given the stakes.
It was the one landing of the sport, because the Patriots and Jets have been locked in a defensive duel. After the Patriots protection stopped the Jets on a third-and-one from New York’s 34, with Kyle Dugger making a terrific play to drop Michael Carter for a two-yard loss, there have been 26 seconds left on the clock in regulation.
That wasn’t a lot time for the Patriots offense to do a lot, particularly contemplating they hadn’t carried out a lot all afternoon. Most anticipated the sport would go to time beyond regulation.
If something, they hoped a great return would assist put them in place to make just a few fast completions to probably get in area objective vary.
Jones did even higher than that.
He fielded the punt on the 16, went up the correct sideline earlier than slicing throughout the sphere on the 50 and utilizing his blazing pace to race into the top zone with 5 seconds to go to seal the 10-3 victory.
Most of the Patriots raced from the sideline to the top zone to greet their latest hero as the group available at Gillette Stadium was despatched right into a frenzy.
“How the game ended, it was phenomenal,” mentioned defensive captain Deatrich Wise, who was one of many many leaping up and down in celebration. “I think it was almost like a movie script in a sense. I think out of all the football movies, Rudy, Any Given Sunday, and Remember the Titans, this beats it. The way it ended was phenomenal.”
Jones, a third-round select of Houston, briefly left the sport with an ankle harm, with Myles Bryant fielding just a few punts, however was again on the market for Braden Mann’s tenth boot of the sport.
Jones mentioned when the ball went up, he was principally centered on ball safety “because the wind was going crazy out there.”
He additionally voiced some shock that the Jets didn’t simply kick it out of bounds, and keep away from a return altogether. Instead, Mann kicked it to Jones proper in the course of the sphere.
“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 mentioned. “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.”
He positive did; he placed on the afterburners and blew by all of the Jets after making his lower, getting nice blocks from Brenden Schooler, Raleigh Webb and Mack Wilson, amongst others, to make it occur.
After the sport, Jets coach Robert Saleh wasn’t particularly requested if he thought-about having Mann be sure there wasn’t a return, however gave the Patriots credit score for his or her particular groups prowess.
“They have got one of the better units through time, and you make one mistake and they will make you pay,” he mentioned, “and we made a mistake on a punt and we couldn’t get him down.”
Special groups captain Matthew Slater wasn’t shocked to see Jones make that type of play to win the sport.
“His god-given ability has been in evidence since Day 1. And I think now, our group realizes if we block for this guy, he’s going to have a chance to make plays,” mentioned Slater. “We go out there, he has a lot of confidence in us, we have a lot of confidence in him. I think it makes for a good unit. And when we needed it most, we just trusted each other, we trusted the calls Cam (Achord) was making, and we made the play that we needed.”
Jonathan Jones, who was out on the punt unit, mentioned he and Marcus made eye contact at one level on the return and as soon as he noticed him lower throughout the sphere, he knew he was gone.
“He’s a game-changer when he gets the ball in his hands,” mentioned Jones. “That’s our job to block and once he gets the ball in his hands he’s dangerous.”
Both Slater and Devin McCourty mentioned that they had by no means been part of a sport that was selected a play like that on the finish of a sport.
“Never like that,” mentioned Slater. “I never have won a game like that at any level of football so just when you thought you have seen it all, you are in year 15 and see something like that, it’s just awesome.”
The play marked the one punt return for a landing this season within the NFL. Jones mentioned his dad and mom have been within the stands at Gillette for the primary time this season to look at his memorable play.
“This is their first time coming – both, together, coming to this game,” he mentioned. “Just excited for them to see the atmosphere of this place and just having a good time watching the game.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com