Brant Boyer needed no prodding when he entered his press conference Thursday.

“All right, I’ll say it, it’s about damn time!” the Jets special teams coordinator said. “Damn monkey’s off my back.”

His unit finally returned a punt for a touchdown — the first such score for the Jets since 2012. Boyer, now in his third season, expressed relief at the breakthrough when he watched Andre Roberts tiptoe down the sideline and return a ball 78 yards for a score in the third quarter of Monday’s 48-17 win at Detroit.

“Roberts ran as good as I’ve seen him run,” Boyer said. “They blocked as good as I’ve seen a punt-return group block. It was awesome. They were focused as hell all week.”

The Jets’ kicker, Jason Myers, converted both field-goal attempts and all six extra points. He also forced nine touchbacks. Lachlan Edwards put two of his three punts inside the 20-yard line. Overall, the Jets picked up 182 return yards while holding the Lions to none.

“What the kickers did in that game, they controlled them,” he said. “Give them a hand. They didn’t allow a game-breaker to beat us.”

A challenge looms this week. The Dolphins’ Jakeem Grant had a 102-yard kickoff return last week.

“It’s just a start,” Boyer said. “It doesn’t mean anything unless you keep doing it. We have a hell of a unit coming in here. A team that’s given us fits in the past.”

Todd Bowles went from stoic to talking about a “sexy” defensive lineman in no time flat Thursday.

A reporter started a question by noting that Steve McClendon, who stands 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds and hails from Ozark, Ala., didn’t play “one of the more sexy positions” on the field.

“I think for him, in his mind, he’s still a sexy guy,” Bowles said before allowing himself a laugh. “He’s very vocal. He’s been around, on some winning teams in Pittsburgh … and he brings a lot of leadership to us.”

WR Jermaine Kearse (abdomen) continues to inch toward a return to action this weekend. … Safety Marcus Maye (foot) will miss his second straight game.

LB Josh Martin suffered a concussion 20 days ago, and remains out. … OL Dakota Dozier (excused absence) did not practice.

Miami WR DeVante Parker (broken middle finger) was listed as a full participant in practice Thursday for first time since Aug. 12.