GREEN BAY, Wis. — Mark Jones says he runs with his eyes.

“By that I mean, my teammates tell me to run toward what I see,” said Jones, whose two long kickoff returns were key in the Carolina Panthers’ 35-31 victory Sunday over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. “It might not be what you saw when you started. So if you see something differently, run that way.”

Jones isn’t flashy, and he hasn’t been with Carolina for long, but the Panthers might not have squeaked out Sunday’s victory without him. Jones averaged 38.8 yards on four kickoff returns, two of them in the fourth quarter that gave the Panthers excellent field position when they needed it badly.

The first was a 51-yarder after the Packers had taken a 28-21 lead with 13:43 left. It gave the Panthers the ball at the 50. Working with that short field, Carolina scored four plays later to tie the score.

Then, after Mason Crosby kicked a 19-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 31-28 lead with 1:57 left, Jones returned the kickoff from the goal line to the Panthers’ 45. This time, it took Carolina two plays — largely because of Jake Delhomme’s 54-yard pass to Steve Smith — to score the winning points.

Jones also returned four punts for an 11.5 average. The eight times he had the ball were more touches than any other Panthers player aside from Delhomme and running back DeAngelo Williams (who had 21 carries).

Jones “was big,” coach John Fox said. “When we needed good field position, he really electrified our offense on those two very critical drives.”

Jones signed on Sept. 1, replacing Ryne Robinson, who is missing the season with a knee injury. Jones has bounced around the NFL for five seasons, with stops with the New York Giants and Tampa Buccaneers. He was cut by the San Diego Chargers before the season.

“I’m believing in these guys,” Jones said, “and I think they’re starting to believe in me.”

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