The Jaguars did not have a very fun trip to London. On Sunday morning, Jacksonville got trounced by the Rams, who fly back across the Atlantic with a comfortable 35–7 win.
Jacksonville’s offense simply could not finish when it got into scoring range, with three straight drives ending on failed fourth-down attempts in Rams’ territory.
But while this week’s film session will offer plenty of room for improvement, the Jaguars did have one bright spot on Sunday—the play of first-round draft pick Travis Hunter.
Hunter led the Jaguars with 14 targets, finishing the game with eight receptions for 101 yards and his first NFL score. While it took him a while to get going, Hunter looked like the star the Jaguars drafted him to be in his best moments.
As Jaguars reporter John Shipley noted, Hunter made a bit of history in London, as he finished the day with both 100 yards receiving and a pass breakup. While five players had accomplished the feat before, those all came from receivers who were in to defend Hail Mary attempts. Hunter did it playing as a semi-regular defender.
Travis Hunter’s historic attempt to become a two-way NFL star
It was never going to be easy for Hunter to continue the two-way dominance he showed in college that won him the Heisman Trophy last year. Before he was drafted, it was a question if he would even get the opportunity to try.
But after the Jaguars traded up to get Hunter, the team made clear that they had every intention of using all of Hunter’s unique skill set.
Thus far, the results have been mixed. While Hunter has had a few highlights on the field, this Sunday was the first time he looked like a potentially game-changing offensive presence. He’s still a rookie, and the Jaguars will only continue to figure out more ways to use him, but Sunday’s performance was a great sign that he’s coming into his own in the pros.
Next time, he’ll look to do it in a win.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Hunter Made Unique History in Jaguars’ Depressing Loss to Rams.
