FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots cornerback and punt returner extraordinaire Marcus Jones was selected by his teammates as a captain this season for the first time in his four-year career.

While the 27-year-old Houston product has been a dynamic weapon for the Pats on the field — both on defense and special teams, he will need to pull upon his ‘captain’s wisdom and counsel’ to help his teammates recover from a gut-wrenching, 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.

New England watched a 21-0 first-half lead as Buffalo scored touchdowns on five straight drives on offense to snap the Patriots’ 10-game winning streak. In the process, they allowed the Bills to remain in the hunt for the AFC East title. Perhaps more importantly, the pendulum of momentum has swung back toward the imcumbent division champs from western New York.

Despite his individual success of logging 10 total tackles and one fumble recovery against the Bills, Jones is cognizant of the struggles New England experienced in the second half of their Week 15 contest. Accordingly, his leadership skills will be appreciably needed in the week ahead.

“It starts with tomorrow, getting the corrections and everything,” Jones told reporters at Gillette Stadium postgame. “We have a mature team, I will say that. Learn from it and everything, and then get back to the basics that we need to get back to. I would say we have lost before, and we know the things that it takes and everything. Like I said, we have a mature team, so we are going to dial in and get right.”

Marcus Jones Leads by both Direction and Example

In addition to being a well-respected team leader, Jones has always been a phenomenal athlete with significant breakaway speed — and has been since his rookie season.

Having been selected in the third round (85th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft, the 5-foot-8, 188-pound defensive back joined the Patriots with a great deal of both potential and promise. For his efforts as a rookie, Jones was voted to the Associated Press All-Pro first team as a punt returner, the only Patriots player to make first-or second-team All-Pro that season. He was also named as both an All-NFL and All-AFC punt returner by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA.)

This season, Jones has returned 21 punts for 363 yards and two touchdowns — solidifying his status as the NFL’s most dangerous punt returner. In an effort to quell any lingering dubiety on the subject, Jones clearly showcased his return skills during the Pats’ 33-15 victory over the New York Giants. In the first quarter, he returned Giants punter Jamie Gillian’s punt 94 yards for a touchdown — his second scoring return of the season.

In addition to being an elite level punt returner, Jones is also New England’s primary slot cornerback. The former Houston Cougar has aligned on 78 percent of New England’s snaps on defense. This season, he has compiled 60 total tackles, 11 pass deflections and three interceptions.

During New England’s Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Jones showcased the prowess that earned him Defensive Player of the Month honors for October. Most recently, he jumped and picked-off a short-right pass attempt by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco and returned the interception 33 yards for the score in the Pats Week 12 victory over Cincy.

Yet, in the final analysis, Jones’ greatest test to date may be finding a way to rally his young teammates to not only rebound from the loss to the Bills, but also prepare for quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens — New England’s Week 16 opponent.

With New England’s playoff positioning hanging on each win, they will need to be tactically and emotionally equipped to meet the challenge. In that vein, Jones will apply what he has learned this season so that he may lead by both direction and example as the team readies for their prime time showdown in the Charm City.

“I would say I have learned a lot,” Jones admitted. “First off, from the situation of learning how guys take losses at the beginning of the year and everything. So it’s nothing that we have not been through before. We just know that we need to finish strong and just take it one game at a time and get back to the things that we need to get corrected. Do not look too far into the future, and then just get ready for next week.”