The New England Patriots got off to a quick start against the New York Giants on Monday night, grabbing a 3-0 lead early on. Then their return man and cornerback Marcus Jones took it to another level, scooping up a punt and racing 94 yards all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. That made it 10-0 after the extra point, and man, what a momentum shifter that was for the Pats right from the jump.
Jones had the place going wild because he was completely untouched for the first part of that run. He dodged punter Jamie Gillan and shook off a tackle around the Patriots' 45-yard line like it was nothing. Even when one Giants guy tried to snag his ankle deep in New York territory, Jones just powered through and glided into the end zone for the team's second score of the night.
This wasn't a one-off for Jones, he's been on fire lately. It's his second game in a row with a touchdown, coming off a pick-six against Bengals QB Joe Flacco just a week earlier. Patriots cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton couldn't say enough about the guy's reliability this season and over his whole career. "He just is consistent. He’s a model of consistency," Hamilton put it earlier this week.
He went on to rave about how Jones handles everything, the way he looks after his body, sticks to his routine, manages his schedule, and keeps his life off the field in check. "Everything that he does is with a purpose. Everything that he does is with a plan, and everything that he does is he gives his all to it. I’ve got a high amount of respect for that."
Jones now has three total touchdowns this season, counting a punt return score back in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. And get this, he locked in a three-year, $36 million contract extension in October, which is already looking like a steal for New England.
Head coach Mike Vrabel summed it up perfectly earlier this year: "I think he embodies everything that we’re looking for here in a player, in a teammate, on the field, in the community. Something that we were excited about doing and glad that he wanted to get that done and be with us moving forward."
No doubt about it, Jones is one of the top return specialists in the whole NFL right now. Teams know they're rolling the dice whenever they punt his way, and the Giants found out the hard way with this highlight-reel stunner. He's been electric for the Patriots on both defense and special teams all year, and it's tough to argue against him earning All-Pro honors after a season like this.