Patriots Country

Marcus Miracle! Patriots Rookie Stuns Jets With Electrifying Punt Return

On a dismal day for New England's offense, Marcus Jones' 84-yard return with five seconds remaining saved the day.

Richie Whitt

If the New England Patriots didn't lose to the New York Jets on this dreary, dreadful afternoon in Foxboro, you get the feeling they might never again.

On a day when the defense dominated and the offense wasted multiple opportunities, rookie Marcus Jones finally sealed the Pats' 14th consecutive win over the Jets with an exhilarating 84-yard punt return for a touchdown. The rookie from Houston, drafted in part because of his return skills, made three nifty cuts and out-ran the Jets' coverage unit, crossing the goal-line with five seconds remaining in the 10-3 victory.

It was, essentially, a walk-off punt return. It is also the first punt-return touchdown in the NFL this season.

New England, which hasn't lost to the Jets since December 2015, sweeps the season series and vaults to 6-4 and firmly into AFC playoff contention with its fifth win in six games.

And they did it on a day when everything suggested they should lose:

*2 drives inside New York's 10-yard line produced only a field goal.

*Kicker Nick Folk, having a Pro Bowl season with makes of 19 of 21 coming in, missed two field goals.

*8 penalties.

*Six sacks of quarterback Mac Jones.

*The Patriots ran 11 plays in the Red Zone; the Jets just one.

Marcus Jones made none of it matter, however, with easily New England's most thrilling finish of the season.

Thanks to two more sacks from Matthew Judon and stellar stuffing by Deatrich Wise, the Patriots suffocated New York' offense. The Jets' first 10 drives netted only four first downs, 93 yards and a field goal.

New England's offense, however, was excruciatingly abysmal.

The Pats produced drives to the Jets' 6-, 7-, 22-, 43- and 36-yardline, only to manage one field goal. They went for 4th-and-3 at New York's 36 late in the third, only to have Rhamondre Stevenson dropped for no gain.

After three quarters the Patriots had run 32 plays in Jets' territory (to New York's eight) and out-gained them a whopping, 262-97. Yet the score remained tied at 3-3.

After their first-quarter field goal, the Jets punted on their final eight possessions.

Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium was more discombobulated than the current regime at Twitter. CBS' "technical difficulties" delayed kickoff 10 minutes.

The bumbling Patriots and Jets took it from there.

In the first 14 snaps there were four penalties and only one first down. Coming off their Bye, the Patriots' first offensive play resulted in a sack of Jones.

New England finally looked like a football team on it third possession, driving 14 plays over 7:46 to take a 3-0 lead on a 24-yard Folk field goal. In the drive there were short passes to DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers, a 22-yard run up the middle by Damien Harris and a fortunate fumble recovery of his own bobble by tight end Jonnu Smith.

In an NFL where daring coaches are going for it on fourth down more than ever, coach Bill Belichick again elected to play not to lose. New England kicked the field goal on 4th-and-1 from New York's 6.

The Patriots have not scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter all season.

The Jets tied it at 3-3 on Greg Zuerlein's 45-yard field goal on their next possession, benefitting from an offside penalty on Judon on 3rd-and-4 and a 34-yard catch by Denzel Mims.

New England was forced to patch together its offensive line after injuries forced center David Andrews (thigh) and tackle Isaiah Wynn (foot) out of the game early.

The Pats had a chance to re-gain the lead but suffered an ugly Red-Zone meltdown and came away with no points.

Mac Jones again drove them inside New York's 10 - aided by a gutsy 3rd-and-16 catch-and-conversion by Stevenson - but the drive stalled on a holding penalty on Yodny Cajuste and a sack on consecutive plays. Folk's 44-yard field goal into a stiff breeze bounced off the crossbar.

The third quarter was a recurring nightmare for the Pats, as they drove to the Jets' 22 before - stop us if you've heard this one before - a sack and a holding penalty pushed them back.

The Patriots haven't lost to the Jets in Foxboro in 19 years.

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Richie Whitt
RICHIE WHITT

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