Only a punt-returning savant would have the expertise to handle a pins-and-needles moment like the one Rashard Davis found himself in.

“The guys came up to me and were like, ‘Way to stay poised in that moment, way to possess the ball,’” Davis, a James Madison alum and current member of the Tennessee Titans, told the Daily News-Record by phone Friday. “So it felt good, to be honest, to help my team out.”

The fair catch Davis made won’t be featured in any highlight reel of the Titans’ playoff run, which continues Sunday in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. But it did play a part in Tennessee stunning the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on wild-card weekend earlier this month.

As the wind swirled throughout Gillette Stadium in the fourth quarter, Davis needed to catch the football that was falling from the sky. The Titans were clinging to a 14-13 edge and the clock was nearing the three-minute mark.

If Davis muffed the punt, “the Patriots would’ve been right there in scoring distance,” he said.

“But in the pregame, I saw how the wind was really effecting the ball,” Davis, a Charlottesville native, explained. “And especially when we were in the plus-50 area because their punter tries to pooch it high in the air and tries to get it at least within the 10-yard line. And that’s really where the ball is more up and down than usual, and it’s when the wind normally plays around with it.

“So on that last punt return, I caught it and kind of fell down with it. That’s because the ball was moving in the air and as I got to move over there, I didn’t want to make too much of a drastic move, because of how the wind was moving. I just leaned into it and made sure I secured the catch.”

By maintaining possession, the Titans were able to gain an advantage in field position as the offense picked up two first downs before punting and pinning New England on its own 1 with 15 seconds to go. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw an interception and Titans cornerback Logan Ryan returned it for a score to send Tennessee into the Divisional Round.

Davis was inactive for Tennessee’s win over the Baltimore Ravens this past Saturday and he said he’s likely to be inactive against the Chiefs on Sunday, but there are no complaints from the 5-foot-9, 175-pounder.

The former member of the Dukes went undrafted out of JMU. He had to earn his way onto practice squads via a tryout and has bounced around the NFL since graduating after starring on Madison’s 2016 national championship team and earning Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year honors that season.

Tennessee is the fourth franchise Davis has spent time with, after having five different stints on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, two with the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad and a training-camp stint with the Chiefs this past summer.

Earlier this fall, he had workouts with the Ravens and Indianapolis Colts and was even the No. 1 overall pick by the DC Defenders in the XFL Draft before Tennessee acquired him.

“It didn’t start off how I wanted it to,” Davis said about his 2019 campaign, “with getting released by the Chiefs, but I didn’t really let it get to me. I just stayed the course, stayed in shape and kept working out.

“But I came here and was making plays against the starting defense by giving them a good look and the team had a few injuries in the receiver core and the receivers coach felt comfortable pulling me up and giving me a chance.”

Davis made his first career catch, a 16-yard reception, in Week 17 to help the Titans knock off the Houston Texans.

“It comes down to staying patient and waiting for your time,” Davis said.

A win for the Titans on Sunday would put a team Davis has played for in the Super Bowl for the second time in his career. He was with the Eagles when Philadelphia won it two seasons ago.

If Tennessee wins, and the Green Bay Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, two former Dukes would reach the Super Bowl as former JMU safety Raven Greene is in his second year with Green Bay.

“I talked to Raven, too,” Davis said. “And we were like, ‘Man, if we meet in the Super Bowl, that’d be crazy.’”

Davis played at Charlottesville High while Greene went to First Colonial in Virginia Beach.

Davis and Greene aren’t the only JMU products who still have ongoing seasons.

Former Dukes defensive end Ron’Dell Carter will play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Carter is on the National Team roster for the contest and NFL Network will televise the showcase featuring NFL Draft prospects.

“I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a kid,” Carter said last week in Frisco, Texas, about his possible pro future. “I didn’t know when I transferred [to JMU from Rutgers] that this would be the reality. I had a dream, but now it’s a reality that it could possibly happen.

“If you’re good enough, they’ll find you.”

Carter, a consensus All-American in 2019, racked up 66 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks while helping JMU reach the FCS national championship game as a senior.