A Patriots Player Won The Game For New England A Year After Blowing It On The Same Play
Thursday night, one year after drawing the ire of Bill Belichick for causing a penalty that helped the Jets beat New England, Patriots defensive tackle Chris Jones reversed the story.
Down by two points with five seconds left, the Jets lined up for a game-winning field goal. As the ball was snapped, Jones leapt up from within the scrum and was able to get a hand on the ball before it really took off.
One year ago, Jones had blown the game for the Patriots on the same play against the Jets. On a 56-yard, game-winning field goal attempt, Jones shoved a teammate into Folk, causing a penalty. Afterward, Folk nailed the game-winning 42-yard field goal to beat the Patriots. Belichick was furious, and Jones shouldered the blame for the loss.
After the game-winning block Thursday night, Jones said that he didn't immediately make the connection; he was just happy the Patriots got the victory. He also said that it was the first time he had blocked a field goal at any level of football.
Belichick was in considerably better spirits this time around, stating, "After what happened last year, I thought it was fitting that he made that play. That was awesome."