WATCH: Nephi Sewell forces a Panthers fumble and it is returned for a TD

WATCH: Nephi Sewell forces a Panthers special teams fumble and D’Marco Jackson returns it for a big Saints touchdown

With Steve Gleason in the house, the New Orleans Saints come away with a blocked punt against the Carolina Panthers that was brought back for a touchdown.

Nephi Sewell ran through the Panthers special teams virtually unblocked and was able to get to Johnny Hekker in time for a loud block. Fellow young linebacker D’Marco Jackson was there to scoop up the ball and ran it in for the touchdown.

But it’s not going down in the stats sheet as a blocked punt. The NFL office reviewed the play and found that Hekker never actually kicked the ball, so it’s being recorded as a forced fumble, recovery, and return for a special teams touchdown. Either way, the points came as a sigh of relief on a day where neither offense had found consistent success.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]