NFL1 hour ago2 minute read

Emergency Snapper DaVon Hamilton Helps Jaguars Beat Eagles

DaVon Hamilton stepped in as emergency long snapper to help Jacksonville beat Philadelphia 19-17 in London.

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An unexpected hero in London

The Jacksonville Jaguars earned a 19-17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in London. It took an unexpected turn of events on special teams to make that happen.

Primary long snapper Ross Matiscik suffered a shoulder injury during the first quarter. That injury forced the coaching staff to find a replacement on the sideline. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton stepped up to handle the job for the rest of the game.

Hamilton delivers under pressure

Hamilton delivered six snaps during the contest, handling punts, extra points, and field goal tries. His biggest moment came on the final play. Hamilton snapped the ball cleanly to set up kicker Cam Little for a 57 yard field goal as time expired. Little made the kick to seal the victory.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen explained that Hamilton rarely gets live practice reps. "He gets a few snaps a week maybe, and it's not really in a live setting very often," Coen said. Coen added that the staff had faith in the veteran defensive lineman. "We trusted him to do it."

Big man earns his praise

This was not the first time Hamilton had to save the day on special teams. He filled in as the snapper during a Week 18 victory over the Tennessee Titans last season after Matiscik suffered a back injury.

Even after another clean performance, the 6 foot 4, 335 pound lineman is not eager to become a full time specialist. "No, I'm fine," Hamilton said about asking for extra reps in practice. "Hopefully I don't have to do it next week. We can move on, but it was fun."

Little celebrated in the end zone on the shoulders of teammates after making the kick. Punter Logan Cooke said Hamilton deserved that same honor, even if his size makes it impossible. "If I could, I would lift him for sure," Cooke said. "You can get a crane, but ..."

What it means for the next game

Jacksonville will now look ahead to their next contest.

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL, Sun, 18 Oct): Jacksonville Jaguars win 56%, Houston Texans win 44%; projected score Jacksonville Jaguars 23, Houston Texans 20. Our safest pick: Under 50.5 points.