Marcus Jones 87-yard punt return helps Patriots beat Panthers 42-13

Marcus Jones returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown and finished with a franchise-record 167 punt return yards as the New England Patriots routed the Carolina Panthers 42-13 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The play, coming late in the first quarter, erased an early Carolina lead and helped power a 42-point run that decided the game by halftime.

With the Panthers leading 6-0, Jones fielded a punt and broke free up the left sideline before cutting back inside for the 87-yard score that put New England ahead 7-6 with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter. He nearly had a second return touchdown in the second quarter, taking another punt 61 yards to the Carolina 14-yard line, and added a 19-yard return in the third. Those three returns totaled 167 yards, breaking a club mark that stood since 1976 and setting a single-game franchise record for punt return average at 55.7 yards. The performance tied for the 15th-most punt return yards in a game in NFL history and ranks among the highest single-game averages in league history.

Jones was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance, the second weekly special teams honor of his career. His returns were a...