Former Colorado star Travis Hunter shoulders blame after Jaguars’ 31-27 defeat to Bengals originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Jacksonville Jaguars walked out of Paycor Stadium stunned on Sunday after a 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that slipped away late. The decisive moment came on a fourth and five when rookie two way standout Travis Hunter was flagged for pass interference against Ja’Marr Chase. What could have been a game clinching stop instead kept Cincinnati’s drive alive and Hunter knew it.
“I just can’t make it, I can’t leave it up to the refs,” Hunter said afterward. “I just got to do my job, put myself in a better position.”
The former Colorado star, playing both offense and defense, was pressed into extended defensive duty after injuries thinned the secondary. He welcomed the challenge of lining up against Chase and Tee Higgins but admitted there were lessons to learn. “It was great for me early in my career to go against those two guys,” Hunter said. “They have established themselves in this league so it was great for me.”
Beyond the penalty Hunter did not dodge responsibility for mistakes that cost the Jaguars rhythm. “We was not fully locked in,” he admitted. “I think I had two of those illegal shifts or three of those. I still got to do my job and the other guys just got to do their job.”
Hunter also defended rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. who dropped a key fourth down pass earlier in the game. “I just tell him to keep his head up,” Hunter said. “I am going to have his back no matter if he is right wrong or does something that we know is not in his character.”
For Hunter the loss was painful but not discouraging. “This is definitely what I want to do,” he said of the two way workload. “A lot of people are going to continue to doubt me but I just got to go out there and do my job.”
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