Marcus Jones only needed one crease to light Gillette Stadium on fire. The New England Patriots cornerback and return ace ripped off a 94-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter of Monday night’s matchup against the New York Giants, stretching New England’s lead to 10-0 and sending fans into full-on meltdown online. 

Jamie Gillan boomed a punt that backed Marcus Jones up inside his own 10. A couple of broken tackles later, he was sprinting down the left sideline, barely touched, before diving into the end zone as Patriots teammates chased him in celebration. It was his third career punt return touchdown and another reminder that he might be the most dangerous special teams weapon in football.

The numbers back it up. Coming into the night, Jones already owned the highest punt return average in NFL history among players just shy of qualifying for the official leaderboard. Monday’s return, part of a 2-for-111-yard line in the box score, finally pushes him over that threshold via ESPN.

 

 

 

Fans watching at home did not hold back. One called him “the best punt returner in the NFL and it isn’t even close.” Another said they were ready to “start a campaign for Marcus Jones as being the best P/K returner of the 2020s.”

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At the time of the return, Drake Maye and the Patriots offense had already cashed in an early drive with a 22-yard field goal from Andy Borregales. Christian Barmore’s sack forced the Giants to punt, and Jones did the rest. 

 

 

A third fan summed up the vibe for this Patriots team: “Defense actually woke up early in a game and we took advantage of having an elite special teams unit. We’ve set the standard now.”

For a 10-2 Patriots squad leaning on defense, field position and timely plays, Marcus Jones is not just a spark. He is becoming the identity of their special teams and maybe the face of return dominance in this decade.