Travis Hunter's wild juke on Tee Higgins didn't count, but it's the NFL's best
Travis Hunter broke Tee Higgins' ankles, per www.sbnation.com — and the whole NFL saw it.
The play started at the end of the first quarter. Hunter picked off a pass and took off, juking Higgins out of his shoes before racing up field to bring the Jaguars closer to the end zone. It was, according to www.sbnation.com, the nastiest juke move of the NFL season.
The only problem: it didn't count. The interception was called back because of a penalty. The specific penalty that nullified the play is not named in the source.
None of that has stopped the clip from spreading. The play has millions of views just hours after the game ended, per www.sbnation.com.
Too bad none of it mattered, because it was truly one of the best highlights of the NFL season.
JAGS BEAT BENGALS 22-17
The Jaguars beat the Bengals, 22-17, per www.sbnation.com. Joe Burrow put up big passing numbers, but the Jacksonville defense limited the scoring.
Hunter was part of that success defensively, finishing the game with three solo tackles and two pass breakups, per www.sbnation.com. The specific details of Burrow's passing numbers are not in the source.
Later in the game, Hunter laid one of the best hits of the week, according to www.sbnation.com. The exact nature of the hit has not been confirmed.
The disallowed interception was Hunter's apparent second of the season, but the penalty erased it. His stat line came entirely from his work at cornerback, where he has focused his time this season.
HUNTER'S TWO-WAY ROLE
Hunter was drafted No. 2 overall to be the NFL's first two-way superstar of the modern era, according to www.sbnation.com. The vision was simple: a player who could dominate at cornerback and receiver, a true unicorn in a league that had not seen one in decades.
The experiment did not last long. The Jaguars were willing to give up on it after a disappointing rookie year, per www.sbnation.com. The specifics of what went wrong in that rookie season are not detailed in the source.
This season, Hunter has focused his time on being a full-time cornerback, according to www.sbnation.com. The offensive snaps have all but disappeared.
Through four games, Hunter had only one catch for eight yards, per www.sbnation.com. That is the entirety of his receiving production, a far cry from the two-way workload he carried at Colorado.
The shift makes sense. Hunter has looked good at cornerback for a Jaguars team that suddenly feels like a contender out of the AFC, according to www.sbnation.com. His three solo tackles and two pass breakups against the Bengals came entirely from that defensive role.
But the juke that went viral was a reminder of what the offense gave up on. That kind of elusiveness is why the NFL fully believed Hunter could be a two-way player coming out of Colorado, per www.sbnation.com.
Maybe it can still happen for him eventually, according to www.sbnation.com. For now, the Jaguars are getting their value from Hunter on defense, where he has quietly become a reliable piece of a unit that is winning games.
WHY THE JUKE MATTERS
The juke that didn’t count is the clearest evidence yet of why the NFL believed Hunter could be a two-way player coming out of Colorado, according to www.sbnation.com. The elusiveness he showed on that play — breaking Tee Higgins’ ankles before racing upfield — is the exact skill set that made him the No. 2 overall pick.
Good things happen when Hunter gets his hands on the football, per www.sbnation.com. The interception was wiped out by a penalty, but the movement after the catch wasn’t luck. It was a perfect example of the quickness and suddenness that makes him a special athlete, according to www.sbnation.com.
That suddenness is why the Jaguars drafted him to be a unicorn. It’s also why the team hasn’t completely closed the door on using him offensively again someday.
For now, though, the Jaguars are rolling, and Hunter is a real part of a solid defense, according to www.sbnation.com. His role has shifted to full-time cornerback, and the results are showing up in wins.
The juke was a flash of what could be. The tackles and pass breakups are what is. Both come from the same rare athleticism.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
If the Jaguars can ever figure out how to leverage Hunter's talent offensively, there's still a chance he can be the unicorn he was supposed to be when he entered the draft, according to www.sbnation.com. Maybe it can still happen for him eventually.
Any specific plans for Hunter's offensive usage are not confirmed. What is clear, per the source, is that the team hasn't completely closed that door.
For now, the Jaguars suddenly feel like a contender out of the AFC, according to www.sbnation.com. That feeling is built on a defense Hunter is anchoring as a full-time cornerback, not on the two-way experiment that defined his draft profile.
The next step for Jacksonville is figuring out whether that offensive role ever returns. If it does, the juke that didn't count could be a preview of what a fully unleashed Hunter looks like.
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