Jets-Patriots was devoid of enjoyable till Marcus Jones’ beautiful punt return TD

It seemed like extra time was sooner or later.

But then rookie punt returner Marcus Jones despatched everybody dwelling completely satisfied.

After virtually sixty minutes of putrid offensive play — or stellar defensive play relying in your standpoint — the New England Patriots rookie surprised the New York Jets, and the NFL world, with an 83-yard punt return for a landing. The return broke a 3-3 tie, and gave the Patriots a 10-3 lead with simply 5 second remaining.

Perhaps essentially the most crucial side of the play? The wind. On a gusty and blustery afternoon at Gillette Stadium, the Jets had been compelled to punt into the wind on the sport’s largest play. The punt was a line drive off the foot of Braden Mann, giving Jones an opportunity at an enormous return.

He delivered:

As you possibly can see from this picture, when Jones pulls within the punt, he had loads of room to work with, and he made the many of the alternative:

Jones picked up two crucial blocks on the play, first from reserve security Brenden Schooler (#41) after which from backup huge receiver Raleigh Webb (#44), and the returner minimize upfield behind these two blocks and into open area. From there he had simply the punter to beat, and with the sport on the road, Jones was to not be denied.

Touchdown, New England. Bedlam in Foxborough.

The NFL shared this unimaginable field-level view of the return:

But for nearly sixty minutes, it appeared like a landing — of any variety — was an inconceivable ask on at the present time.

In the 1994 comedy “PCU,” there’s a scene the place the character Gutter, portrayed by Jon Favreau, has a drug-fueled imaginative and prescient of his future, the place he’s testifying earlier than Congress in a affirmation listening to. In the imaginative and prescient, Gutter testifies “I knew it was going to be bad. I did not know it would be this bad.”

It was onerous not to think about that scene whereas watching Sunday’s recreation between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

We knew it was going to be a defensive wrestle effectively earlier than kickoff. After all, these are two of the elite go defenses within the league, with the power to stress the passer constantly, dealing with off with two younger quarterbacks who’ve crumpled within the face of stress this season.

Add in some blustery situations, and you’ve got the recipe for a troublesome day for the offenses.

Somehow it was worse.

The two AFC East rivals mixed for what was a near-historic show of offensive ineptitude. In the primary half, the 2 groups mixed for six factors, and 6 punts, as neither offense may get something happening that facet of the soccer.

New England had an opportunity to take a 6-3 lead earlier than halftime, however Nick Folk’s 44-yard area purpose received caught within the wind and careened off the crossbar, maintaining the rating tied at three.

The Patriots put collectively an honest driver to open the second half, however as soon as extra the drive stalled, and Bill Belichick despatched his kicker out to strive one other area purpose, this time from 43-yards out. The kick, despatched in the identical course as his earlier miss, was huge to the left, and the rating remained tied.

While the Patriots offense was struggling, their counterparts had been even worse. Quarterback Zach Wilson couldn’t get something going within the passing recreation, and he completed the afternoon having accomplished fewer passes (9) than Mann had punts (ten).

An enormous motive for his struggles? A relentless go rush from the Patriots. New England received to Wilson for 4 sacks on the afternoon, with Matthew Judon accounting for 1.5 of these. Judon received to Wilson on the primary play of the fourth quarter, setting a brand new career-high with 13.5 sacks on the season.

And forcing one other Jets punt:

In the second half, the Jets had seven offensive possessions. They would go three-and-out on the primary 5 of these and achieve simply three complete yards on their sixth offensive possession of the second half, because it was Deatrich Wise’s flip to get to Wilson for a third-down sack:

The sack got here after the Jets had managed to choose up their first first down of the second half.

New York’s remaining offensive possession of the sport? Well, that ended with a punt.

One that Jones returned for the game-winning landing.

How pivotal was Jones’ return. On the micro degree, it induced the largest swing in win chance on a punt return within the Next Gen Stats Era:

But take into account the macro degree. This recreation was virtually a playoff recreation, significantly for New England. According to FiveThirtyEight, previous to kickoff, the Patriots had a 39% probability of constructing the playoffs. Those odds would leap to 53% with a win over the Jets, whereas a loss to New York would see their possibilities on the playoffs drop to 18%.

Conversely, the Jets entered Week 11 with a 59% probability of qualifying for the postseason. Beat the Patriots, and people odds skyrocket to 83%, and their odds of successful the division enhance from 10%, to 18%.

With the loss, nevertheless, the Jets’ playoff odds dropped to 44%.

More than anything, the loss would possibly spark off renewed debate over Wilson in New York. Because misplaced on this recreation is perhaps the efficiency from the Jets’ protection, which sacked Mac Jones six occasions and held the Patriots’ speeding assault to below 100 yards. When you set up these sorts of defensive numbers, maintain the opposing offense to simply three factors, pressure them to punt seven occasions, and even get a fourth-down cease, you are likely to win the soccer recreation.

But that isn’t what occurred right this moment.

Instead, the Patriots earned their 14th-straight win over their division rivals, and put a dent of their playoff hopes.

And probably sparked one other debate concerning the quarterback place within the Big Apple.