Marcus Jones' punt returns fuel Patriots' rout of Panthers

“I’m pretty ruthless back there,” Jones said with a smile after the game. “Mainly, what I try to worry about is the gunners. I had a little bit of space, and I trust our guys to make the right blocks.”

Jones came close to adding a second punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter before falling at the Panthers 14-yard line. The 61-yard return ignited New England’s offense, with Antonio Gibson’s 1-yard touchdown run serving as a capper to a drive where excellent field position was achieved thanks to Jones.

“He’s not the biggest player, but he’s got great play strength and great vision, I think, with the football in his hand," Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “You have to be fearless at some level to catch that punt and know that you’re going to make the first guy miss. It’s just a natural skill.”

Jones’ long return in the second quarter put him in the team's record book. He joined Julian Edelman for the most 60-plus yard punt returns in team history (four). Jones also established a new franchise single-game record for punt return yardage (167).

“The first punt, the main thing I think about is getting the offense in great position,” Jones said. “I had someone on my leg for a minute, but I commend my teammates. They never stop and blocked the guys they needed to block.”

New England became the first team this season to have touchdowns on a kickoff and punt return. In Week 2, Gibson took a kickoff back 90 yards to help the Patriots earn a 33-27 win at Miami.

Jones’ first NFL punt return for a score came in near walk-off fashion during his rookie season in 2022. With the prospect of overtime looming against the New York Jets, Jones went 84 yards to the end zone to lift New England to a 10-3 win.

New England scored 42 unanswered points after Carolina got on the scoreboard first, though the Panthers missed the PAT after rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald hit the left upright.

“Having the momentum, especially at home, it drives everyone," Jones said. “I’m glad to end up sparking the team and go from there.”

Special teams went from bad to worse for Carolina.

Known for his squib kicks that have frustrated Panthers opponents during the season’s first month, Fitzgerald was noticeably short on his 55-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter. Had he made the kick, the Panthers would have trailed by five. Instead, the Patriots took over near midfield and went 55 yards for another touchdown that pinned Carolina in a 21-6 deficit.

“We knew they had gifted returners. We were aware of that, and it just felt like we weren’t getting quite there on our coverage,” Carolina coach Dave Caneles said. “I know we had a couple of shots at the guy, and he made a couple of people miss, and then the rest of their blockers were unfazed. That’s a part that we’re going to have to look at and evaluate.”

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