Big Cat Country
Every week we try to take a look at rookie phenom Travis Hunter’s game production and make sense of what we saw play out on the field.
So far, each game has been a mixed bag, where Hunter sometimes plays a ton, plays just on one side or plays not much at all. The Travis Hunter Experiment™ has been anything but easy to understand. Sunday’s lifeless 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams didn’t do much to help provide clarity towards the future.
With the Jags playing behind much of the day, Hunter was mainly used as the team’s number one offensive weapon. Drops and the now seemingly standard miscues plagued Jacksonville all game, but it was Hunter who tried his best to step up.
The rookie receiver played a career-high 67 (sigh) snaps on offense which led him to a team-high eight catches on 14 targets. Both numbers set new career benchmarks. He eclipsed 100 yards for the first time in his career, ending with 101 yards. He also scored his first career touchdown. His lone score was almost inarguably Jacksonville’s sole offensive highlight in London.
“I just told coach to get me the ball [and] I’ll go there and make a play,” Hunter said Sunday. “And he got me the ball and I just did what I had to do.”
Comparing Hunter’s output in London to his output against the Seahawks, he certainly had a much better day producing offensively. While playing 58 snaps at home in his team’s 20-12 loss, he caught just four balls for 15 yards.
Each week, the coaching staff has increased Hunter’s offensive workload. In Week 4, Hunter played about 57% of offensive snaps. That number has risen every week, rising to almost 87% Sunday.
“There definitely was a plan going into the game that we wanted to utilize him more on the offensive side of the ball,” Coen said Sunday, “specifically trying to get the ball into his hands. The first half was just kind of funky, the way we couldn’t get anybody the ball consistently and get into a rhythm.”
Coen said before the Rams game he wanted to make Hunter an offensive priority heading into London, and his team delivered on that. Whether that was by nature of Brian Thomas Jr. forgetting how to catch or gameplan, Hunter was the beneficiary of a big offensive day. Unfortunately for him, it was marred by the team’s overall performance.
At this point in the year, Hunter is the team’s second leading receiver with 298 yards. He sits 67 (SIGH) yards behind Thomas Jr. and 91 yards ahead of Parker Washington. Hunter actually has one more catch than BTJ on 10 fewer targets. The two have the same number of receiving touchdowns with one.
When looking at Hunter as strictly a receiver, his numbers are starting to make more sense. He is clearly a high-level receiver at this level – see his catch against Kansas City – and the offense wants to get...
