FOXBOROUGH — When Panthers punter Sam Martin booted the ball midway through the first quarter, it looked as though the Patriots’ second drive of the game would start deep inside their own territory.
Marcus Jones, back to return the punt, didn’t signal for a fair catch — much to the surprise of the Fox broadcast team — and already had three defenders closing in on him by the time he fielded the ball at the 13-yard line.
Jones tried to cut toward the middle of the field, only for the Panthers’ Akayleb Evans to grab his legs in an attempt to bring him down. But Jones managed to wiggle his way out of the tackle, cut back toward the sideline, and outrun everyone to the end zone.
The 87-yard touchdown put the Patriots on the board — and revitalized a quiet Gillette Stadium crowd that seemed on edge. After the Panthers scored a touchdown to cap their seven-play, 76-yard opening drive, the Patriots had gone three and out.
Jones single-handedly provided a much-needed spark.
“I think that’s what we’ve been looking for,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said after a dominant 42-13 win. “We talked about that throughout training camp, about how those return units need to be a weapon for us. We got the one kickoff return [in Week 2 against Miami]. To be able to do that with the punt return was a fantastic effort by Marcus and everybody else out there. But I think a lot of that was just his own individual will, skill, and effort.”
The score represented a turning point, as the Patriots took the lead at 7-6 and proceeded to score five more touchdowns. The Panthers, meanwhile, never posed a legitimate scoring threat for the remainder of the game, only finding the end zone in garbage time of the fourth quarter.
“Having the momentum — especially at home — it drives everyone,” Jones said. “Basically, we’re like, ‘OK, we’ll start off with that but now we need to add on from there.’ I’m glad to end up sparking the team and going from there.”
Jones finished the game with 167 return yards, breaking a franchise record set by Mike Haynes in November 1976 and tying Julian Edelman for the most 60-plus-yard punt returns in team history (4).
In the second quarter, Jones almost broke free for a second touchdown return, tip-toeing along the sideline before Martin tripped him up at Carolina’s 14-yard line.
“He’s not the biggest player, but he has great strength with the football in his hands,” Vrabel said. “He has great vision. And I think you have to be fearless at some level to catch that punt and know that you’re going to make the first guy miss. We’re confident in that. I think it’s just a natural skill. It’s hard to teach with all those bodies and traffic, catching it first and making great decisions with it back there.”
Jones also returned a punt for a game-winning touchdown in Week 11 of the 2022 season.
Returning punts for touchdowns is nothing new for Jones, who won the American Athletic Conference special teams player of the year award after he returned two (plus two kickoffs) for touchdowns for the University of Houston during his final college season in 2021.
Asked whether the coaches give him more leeway when it comes to judging fair catches because of his track record, Jones said with a smile, “I’m pretty ruthless back there.”
Jones said his goal is always the same when he returns a punt: get a first down. Often, though, he can turn the effort into more. Once he breaks free, his mind-set is simple.
“Run fast,” he said. “Don’t get caught.”
After Sunday’s game, nearly every player heaped praise on Jones.
“Golly, it’s fun seeing that,” quarterback Drake Maye said. “You always know when he’s back there, you’ve got a chance to get a great return. I think the best thing about it, it makes you feel comfortable when he’s back there, making a great decision, whether it’s a touchback or whatever he’s doing. I sure hope they keep kicking it to him because he’s fun to watch.”
Added tight end Hunter Henry, “We have a special guy in Marcus back there. Every time he touches the ball, we feel pretty good there’s a chance for an explosive play. I think guys are pretty fired up to block for him.”
Jones leads the NFL in punt return yards with 202, nearly double any other player. The cornerback will certainly be hard to catch moving forward.
Even if he doesn’t find the end zone again, Jones can still serve as a major advantage by giving the offense favorable field position.
“That has to be a weapon,” Vrabel said. “It was something that we felt like could be through this season in getting ready for this year.”
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.