EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -New England’s Ellis Hobbs set an NFL record by taking the second-half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown Sunday against the New York Jets.
The play also tied the record for the longest in NFL history, matching the 108-yard missed field goal returns by Chicago’s Devin Hester last season against the Giants, and the Bears’ Nathan Vasher the previous season against San Francisco.
With many of the fans at Giants Stadium still returning to their seats from the halftime break, Hobbs caught Mike Nugent’s kickoff deep in the end zone and surprisingly ran it out.
Hobbs made a few cuts to the left sideline and took off untouched down the sideline and into the end zone to give New England a 21-7 lead 14 seconds into the third quarter.
The previous record for longest kickoff return was 106 yards, held by three players: Green Bay’s Al Carmichael in 1966, Kansas City’s Nolan Smith in 1967, and Roy Green of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979.
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