In a game that was not decided until the final seconds, the New England Patriots again came out on top against their long-time rivals, the New York Jets.
Marcus Jones, a third-round cornerback for the Patriots, ran an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown with only five seconds remaining on the clock, resulting in a final score of 10-3 in favor of the Patriots.
This marks the 14th consecutive victory for the Patriots against the Jets. Neither team's offense performed well throughout the game, making Jones' touchdown all the more impressive and exciting for fans of the Pats.
Jones' great punt that would have been placed more intelligently out of bounds -- when there were only 26 seconds left on the clock at the start of the play –
Highlights the Pats' mental advantage over the Jets, who are still developing. It also keeps every team in the AFC North within one game of each other.
Jones said that his primary focus was to make sure the other team didn't get a chance to score by kicking the ball out of bounds due to the lack of time on the clock.
His next priority was following his teammates' blocks and then spotting the punter. If he could make the punter miss, then he would have a chance to score.
Jones' return ended up as the second-longest fourth-quarter TD to take the lead in Patriots history. It ranks behind only the grandfather of NFL Network's Kayla Burton, Ron Burton, who scored a 91-yard field-goal return in 1962.
Although some felt the history-making play should have actually been called back due to an apparent block in the back by Mack Wilson on Justin Hardee, the league office explained that officials correctly held on to their flags.