New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones returns a punt for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Patriots CB Earns Major Praise After Panthers Game

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New England Patriots are celebrating after a massive 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.

New England's scoring onslaught began in the first quarter when defensive back Marcus Jones returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel felt Jones' touchdown started the momentum the team needed to pull out the win.

"I think that's what we've been looking for. I talked about that throughout training camp and how those return units need to be a weapon for us," Vrabel said.

"We've got the one kickoff return, but to be able to do that on the punt return, fantastic effort by Marcus and everybody else out there. I think a lot of that was just his own individual will, skill, and effort. Again, that has to be a weapon. It was something that we felt like could be through this season and getting ready for this year."

Jones, 26, is a part-time player on the defensive side of the ball and his special teams contributions have been up and down over the years due to injuries. However, Vrabel thinks he is the exact kind of player the Pats need.

"He's not the biggest player, but he's got great play strength, I think, with the football in his hand," Vrabel said of Jones. "He's got great vision, and, again, 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 he kind of just -- it's just a natural skill. It's hard to teach. It's hard to teach with all those bodies in traffic and catching it first and making great decisions with it back there. It's a lot of comfort with him back there, and we need to continue to make it a weapon."

Jones couldn't score off of the punt alone. He needed his teammates to make the right blocks for him in order to succeed, and Jones didn't want to let that go unnoticed.

"The first punt, the main thing I always think about is getting the first first down. That's the first thing I was thinking about and just getting the offense in a great position. I had someone on my leg for a little minute, but then I got out, and I tried to find some blocking and everything. But I commend my teammates because they never stop whenever they could and they blocked the guys they needed to block, for sure, and opened up lanes," Jones said.

Plays like Jones' touchdown are exactly what the Pats need in order to build some momentum for the rest of the season. Now that the Patriots are 2-2, they can see the light ahead and they can bottle the energy they built from Jones' touchdown to carry them into the future weeks.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: