Travis Hunter saved the best game of his young NFL career for the prime-time stage.
Behind three total touchdowns from Trevor Lawrence (two rushing, one passing) and linebacker Devin Lloyd's 99-yard pick-six, the Jaguars erased an early 14-point deficit and beat the Chiefs 31-28 at Everbank Stadium. Jacksonville now is 4-1 for the first time since 2007.
Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 draft pick, didn't quite light up the box score yet again, but he made an impact throughout the game on both sides of the field. In fact, PFF graded him as the second-best offensive player for Jacksonville on Monday night (76.9) and the fourth-best defensive player (77.3).
Entering the Week 5 clash against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Hunter's usage as a rookie had been all over the board. He played just six defensive snaps in Jacksonville's 26-10 victory over the Panthers in Week 1. Over the next two weeks, Hunter actually played more defensive snaps than offensive snaps and was on the field for about 60% of the total plays. In the Jaguars' tight 26-21 win over the 49ers in Week 4, Hunter didn't play a single snap on defense in the second half and was on the field for just 35.1% of total plays.
In Week 5, coach Liam Coen and the Jaguars' staff might have found a bit more of a middle ground. Hunter played 64 total snaps—39 on offense and 25 on defense, just over half of the game's 122 total plays from scrimmage. Lining up primarily in the slot, Hunter caught all three of his targets from Lawrence for a career-high 64 receiving yards. On defense, Hunter tallied two tackles and one pass defensed.
All three of Hunter's catches were noteworthy. He caught his first target at the line of scrimmage, made two Chiefs defenders miss right away and turned a checkdown pass into a 12-yard gain. In the fourth quarter, Hunter caught another short-yardage throw and danced around to gain six extra yards after the catch. But it was his reception in the third quarter that stood out the most.
Trailing 14-7 early in the second half and in need a spark, Lawrence heaved a deep ball up for Hunter. Covered by two Chiefs defenders, Hunter came back for the ball, leapt high into the air and somehow hauled it in for a 44-yard connection—the longest reception of the rookie's career so far.
"We worked hard on that one at practice," Hunter said of his 44-yard catch after the game. "I did that route probably like 10 [or] 13 extra times after practice just to get the timing right, and we did what we had to do when it was time."
In all, Hunter ran 26 routes—one short of his career-high 27—and finished with a career-best 2.46 yards per route run. On defense, Hunter allowed just one catch for seven yards on three targets while in coverage—a mere 42.4 passer rating.
Despite the career day, it's very fair to say the Jaguars still aren't using Hunter enough, especially in the passing game. Through five games, Hunter ranks 56th in the NFL in yards per route run (1.4), which puts him in the range of receivers like Christian Kirk, Kayshon Boutte and Wan'Dale Robinson.
Hunter is much better than that, as he showcased with his versatility at receiver Monday night. Jacksonville seemed to find a solid balance of snaps for the two-way star in Week 5, but moving forward, the Jaguars must get him even more involved to continue their hot 4-1 start.
Travis Hunter snap counts by week
GAME
OFFENSIVE SNAPS (%)
DEFENSIVE SNAPS (%)
TOTAL SNAPS (%)
Week 1 vs. Panthers
42 (63.6%)
6 (9.4%)
48 (36.9%)
Week 2 at Bengals
42 (59.2%)
43 (62.3%)
85 (60.7%)
Week 3 vs. Texans
37 (52.9%)
43 (68.3%)
80 (60.2%)
Week 4 at 49ers
38 (55.9%)
9 (13.6%)
47 (35.1%)
Week 5 vs. Chiefs
39 (67%)
25 (39%)
64 (52.5%)
Travis Hunter receiving stats and routes run
GAME
ROUTES RUN
TARGETS
REC-YDS-TD
YARDS PER ROUTE RUN
Week 1 vs. Panthers
27
8
6-33-0
1.22
Week 2 at Bengals
27
6
3-22-0
0.81
Week 3 vs. Texans
27
2
1-21-0
0.78
Week 4 at 49ers
23
5
3-42-0
1.83
Week 5 vs. Chiefs
26
3
3-64-0
2.46
