Former Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] has not had too many opportunities to make some big special teams plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. But on Sunday, in London, Washington had the kind of moment every NFL player dreams of.
Late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Patriots, with the Jaguars already leading 14-10, Washington fielded a punt deep in his end of the field. Typically you would want the punt returner to just let the ball go and likely land in the end zone for a touchback, so Washington’s decision to field the punt should have been a tad alarming in the heat of the moment.
But maybe Washington saw something developing in front of him. Washington took off running up the middle and toward the left sideline for a big return, got a few blocks to help him along the away and raced his way past the punter. There was no stopping him from there.
Washington sped his way all the way to the end zone, he stopped to turn his back to the end zone and dropped backward into the endzone for a touchdown, similar to one of the more famous touchdowns by DeSean Jackson.
"I'm Parker Washington?" – Parker Washington
@CPW11_ | #NEvsJAX on NFLN pic.twitter.com/RGhxD2cECF— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 20, 2024
The 96-yard punt return by Washington is the longest in Jaguars franchise history, and was one of the key plays on the way to a 32-16 victory over the Patriots.
Here is a breakdown of the return with some analytics to add to the impact of the play.
Parker Washington (96-yd Punt Return TD)
🔹 Expected Return Yards: 16
🔹 PR Yards Over Expected: +80*
🔹 TD Probability: 0.7%*Most PRYOE on a return this season (only play over 50)#NEvsJAX | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/aUjLv97do9
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 20, 2024
Washington was a sixth-round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2023. Washington ended his Penn State career with 1,309 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
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