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The Jacksonville Jaguars escaped a Week 1 matchup on the road against the New York Giants with a 20-15 win, largely because of an elite defense and a muffed punt on special teams.
The play that sealed the game. Muffed punt by the Giants and the Jaguars win 20-15 pic.twitter.com/zSnODCfceF
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) September 9, 2018
Journeyman wide receiver Kaelin Clay was back to return the punt with less than a minute to go and a five-point deficit. The Giants didn’t have any timeouts, but the defense was winded. A good return could have set up a chance at least for Eli Manning.
It was not to be.
Clay muffed the punt on rookie wide receiver DJ Chark’s pressure and backup linebacker Donald Payne recovered to seal the win.
Just win, baby.