Thirty-seven players have returned a punt and an interception for touchdowns in the same season. Four have done so in more than one season.
New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones became the fourth player in the latter group on Sunday, when the former Enterprise High School and Troy standout picked off Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown with 7:42 left in the first half.
Jones returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in a 42-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 28.
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Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders had three seasons in which he returned a punt and an interception for touchdowns – 1990 with the Atlanta Falcons and 1997 and 1998 with the Dallas Cowboys.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Nate Clements achieved the feat in 2001 and 2004, and Oakland Raiders cornerback Phillip Buchanon turned the trick in 2002 and 2003.
As a third-round rookie in 2022, Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown in a 10-3 victory over the New York Jets on Nov. 20 and an interception 69 yards for a touchdown in a 22-18 victory over the Bengals on Dec. 24.
Jones also caught a 48-yard touchdown pass in a 24-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 1, 2022, as he became the fifth player in NFL history (and the first since 1947) with touchdowns on an interception return, a punt return and a reception in the same season.
Another former Alabama high school standout is among the 37 NFL players who have returned a punt and an interception for touchdowns in the same season. Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb from Beauregard High School did it in 2011.
