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Former Ravens, Texans receiver Jacoby Jones dies at 40


Former Super Bowl standout Jacoby Jones has died at 40.

He passed overnight in his sleep at his home in Houston, per multiple reports. No cause of death was announced.

Jones is widely remembered by NFL fans for his riveting performance in Super Bowl XLVII, scoring a pair of touchdowns to help the Baltimore Ravens take down the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31. 

The first, a tough grab he pulled in off of a 50-plus yard bomb from QB Joe Flacco, in which Jones made the catch falling down, before getting up and icing two defenders with juke moves, and somersaulting into the end zone. 

Jones opened up the second half by pushing Baltimore ahead 28-6 on the longest play in Super Bowl history — a 108-yard kick return for a touchdown.

The performance capped Jones’ best season as a pro. He received First-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner after amassing 1,167 yards on 38 tries, plus two touchdowns. 

He also hauled in the “Mile High Miracle” that season in the AFC divisional round against Denver — a 70-yard game-tying touchdown in the final seconds of regulation to help vault Baltimore to a 38-35 double-overtime win.

Jones played three seasons with Baltimore from 2012-2014 before finishing out his career with both Pittsburgh and then-San Diego in 2015. He was originally drafted by Houston in the third round of the 2007 draft out of Lane College.

Jones totaled six return touchdowns in his career, registering five on kick returns and a single punt return TD. Three of his kick return touchdowns went for 108 yards. He boasts 203 receptions for 2,733 yards and 14 scores as a receiver. 

Several of his former teammates and competitors posted tributes to Jones online.


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