Marcus Jones Block: What Did NFL Say?
Would a call on the Marcus Jones block have changed the ending? Maybe? Would the Patriots still have won? Most likely.
Final Five Seconds
Yesterday’s win at Gillette was a story book ending. After a rather low key, frigid four quarters, the Jets who had some hope of reversing a 13 straight loss streak against the Patriots, decided to punt the ball on a fourth down. Hey why not? After all, giving the Pats the ball with FIVE seconds left in the game, sends the game into overtime. That gives the Jets another bunch of timeouts and another set of downs to reverse the curse. All they had to do is do what they did all day. Stop the Pats offense, get the ball back and set up a field goal. It’s a long shot, but possible. But something they didn’t see comin, was rookie Marcus Jones.
The Punt Return of The Season
Rookie receiver Marcus Jones, within seconds added much needed HEAT at Gillette with an electric 84 yard punt return. Like an out of control freight train he FLEW by the Jets special teams into the end zone, scoring the first, and LAST touchdown of the day, during the last five seconds of a very long game. This stunning return took the Jets losing streak to the Patriots UP to 14, before a shocked nation of Jets fans, and a stadium and television audience of delighted Patriots fans.
Was The Block Clean?
According to Yahoo:
Marcus Jones caught the ball at the New England 16. He broke to the right sideline. And off he went.
He cut back inside near the 50, foiling punter Braden Mann‘s apparent plan to knock Jones out of bounds. Jones eluded Mann — and Jones was gone.
Justin Hardee had the final chance to catch Jones. Hardee was closing in on a last-ditch effort to keep Jones from scoring.
Enter Mack Wilson Sr. He hit Hardee, knocking him to the ground and allowing Jones to score.
But was it a legal block? It looked like it was a block in the back. The league says it was not.
Per the NFL, the key is the direction which the force originated from. The officials determined the block originated from the side, and so they did not throw a flag.
Take a look from this angle: Looks like the Marcus Jones block is from the side, to me.
If the refs threw a flag, it would have set up the Pats for a field goal:
Yahoo says:
It would have resulted in the Patriots trying a field goal of roughly 43 yards for the win in regulation. Coincidentally, Patriots kicker Nick Folk had missed both a 43-yarder and a 44-yarder earlier in the game.
My eyes say it was a clean block. Go Pats!!!
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