- Playing both ways: Travis Hunter’s usage against the Kansas City Chiefs was reminiscent of his usage at Colorado.
- Making an impact: The former Heisman Trophy winner recorded above 77.0 grades on both offense and defense against Kansas City.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
The Jacksonville Jaguars provided one of the more thrilling primetime games of the season when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the final minute of Monday Night Football in Week 5 – a result typically reserved for the Chiefs’ opponents in those kinds of games, not the other way around.
There were a handful of notable big plays throughout the game that led to the Jaguars rising to 4-1 on the season. Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd‘s pick-six at the goal line certainly swayed the outcome. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s resilience after stumbling on their first-and-goal play to still scramble and dive his way into the end zone with just 23 seconds left was the lasting highlight. However, in between those moments, wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter‘s performance provides excitement about what could come this season after Jacksonville's great start to the year.
The Heiman version of Hunter finally came alive Monday night.
The two-way phenom played both sides of the ball, logging 25 snaps as a cornerback and 39 snaps as a wide receiver. On offense, Hunter saw three targets, hauling all three in for 64 total receiving yards, one of which was a highlight-reel 44-yard catch between two defenders. On defense, he was targeted three times but gave up just one catch for seven yards and also recorded a forced incompletion. For his efforts, he earned a 77.4 receiving grade and a 77.3 coverage grade, both season highs.
Beyond just his production, his usage in this game really made me feel the best version of Travis Hunter – the one the Jaguars envisioned when they traded up to No. 2 overall to draft him – was manifesting. Hunter played the majority of his offensive snaps in the slot against the Chiefs (28) with 12 additional snaps as an outside wide receiver. His work in the slot earned him a 79.9 receiving grade, and most of his production came from that alignment. Due to his quickness and ability to threaten defenses vertically, it’s hard for defenses to find the right type of defender to contain him when he’s given that kind of space. However, on Monday night, we also saw the Jaguars reap the rewards from being creative with Hunter. Late in the second quarter, they motioned him from a slot alignment into the backfield next to Lawrence as a second running back. At the snap, Hunter flared out to the flat, where he caught a short pass at the line of scrimmage but was able to make two defenders miss and gain 10 yards after the catch. This, again, showed how valuable he can be when his team is willing to give him space to work.
On the defensive side of the ball, his numbers speak for themselves, but when you get a little deeper, you’ll see Hunter improving his coverage game from those three targets. The first one came early in the game, where Mahomes was trying to target tight end Travis Kelce. It was Cover 1, and Hunter was lined up on the outside against Kelce, who was running an in-breaking slant to try to get the two yards needed. Hunter was able to navigate traffic and stick with Kelce throughout the route, and though Kelce could have made the catch, Hunter’s presence was a factor in why he didn’t. On the second target, he was assigned to Xavier Worthy on the outside. The Jaguars give a Cover 3 look pre-snap but rotate to more of an off-quarters look, giving Worthy some space underneath to make a catch for those seven yards allowed. On his final target of the night, Hunter was once again matched up with the speedy Worthy, this time when Worthy was running his specialty go route. Hunter had a pretty good cushion in off coverage and was able to mirror and stay in phase with Worthy deep down the field, allowing no space for any catch to be made despite Patrick Mahomes‘ overthrow, once again neutralizing one of Kansas City’s most dangerous offensive weapons.
Monday night’s performance was reminiscent of why Hunter was viewed as the best player in college football in 2024 and worthy of the No. 2 overall selection last April. His two-way ability is truly one-of-one in the league, and he’s only getting more confident in doing that as his rookie season marches on. The Jaguars also seem to be gaining confidence in not just getting him snaps, but meaningful ones on both sides of the ball. That should only continue moving forward.
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