The Jacksonville Jaguars had to rely on a backup long snapper who rarely practices the skill each week to secure a last-second 19-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Nose tackle Da Von Hamilton stepped in for the Jags' primary long snapper, Ross Matiscik, who sustained a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Hamilton delivered six snaps for either a punt, field goal or extra point attempt against the Eagles, but none were bigger than the snap on Cam Little's game-winning 57-yard field goal.
Jags coach Liam Coen said Hamilton gets only a few snaps a week, usually on a walk-through, and rarely in a live setting. Coen said the team talked with Jahlani Tavai as a potential option, but Hamilton had already done it in games for the Jags. "We trusted him to do it," Coen said.
Hamilton had also been forced into long snapping duty in a Week 18 victory over the Tennessee Titans last season after Matiscik suffered a back injury. He joked that he would not ask for extra reps this week. "No, I'm fine," he said. "Hopefully I don't have to do it next week. We can move on, but it was fun."
Little's celebration in the end zone after his walk-off kick ended with him up on a couple of players' shoulders. Punter Logan Cooke said the 6-foot-4, 335-pound Hamilton deserved to be carried off the field, too. "If I could, I would lift him for sure," he said. "You can get a crane, but ..."
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing