Watch: Patriots pin Steelers at goal line with circus-trick defense

Look, it’s simple: you can love the New England Patriots or you can hate them, but no matter what, you have to respect them. Take, for instance, the hustle they showed on a punt against Pittsburgh on Sunday, downing the ball right by the edge of the goal line thanks to the circus-like acrobatics of four different Patriots.

Take a closer look. Jonathan Jones, knocked to the ground, gets to his feet, hustles into the end zone and knocks the ball up. Rex Burkhead takes the tip, leaping in the air to knock the ball back into the field. Matthew Slater leaps up and over the ball to avoid carrying it back into the end zone. And then Ramon Humber downs it:

Here’s a look at Jones in action:

The rule on touchbacks is that the ball (or a player touching the ball) must be contacting the end zone, but there’s no “breaking the plane” requirement as with a touchdown. Count this as yet another one of the little things that the Patriots do right.

____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

More from Yahoo Sports:
• Report: Redskins’ Smith out of hospital after post-surgery infection
• Alvarez punishes Fielding to win WBA super middleweight belt
• McIntyre: Liverpool rips Manchester United to shreds
• Texans’ Hopkins reaches 500 career catches in win