Jacksonville Jaguars’ second overall pick, Travis Hunter, was on the wrong end of what ended up being a crucial play in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the Bengals facing a 4th-and-5 at their own 33-yard line, quarterback Jake Browning threw a downfield pass down the right sideline. Hunter was able to get his hand on the ball to force a pass breakup, but a penalty flag was thrown.
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Hunter was flagged for pass interference, giving the Bengals a first down and the ball at the Jaguars‘ 42-yard line. Several plays later, the Bengals would find the end zone.
The penalty on Hunter was anything but egregious, but the flag was thrown nonetheless.
“I think it was the hand fighting that they’re probably going to talk about,” Coen said on Monday of the penalty, via Jaguars on SI. “I think he opened up the gate a little bit at the beginning, which kind of allowed him to get on top of him, but there was a little hand fighting going on between the two of them,”
“What we watched and saw was he did still have the ability to get his head, eyes and hand back to deflect the ball. That’s what we saw but ultimately there was some hand fighting going on that they’re probably going to say, was it I guess, I don’t know. So, I thought he made a good play on the ball.”
Coen also noted that the play Hunter was able to make on the football showcased his impressive ball skills. Not a lot of guys can get their head around to make a play on the ball at the point that Hunter did, as Coen pointed out.
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Hunter would end up playing 43 defensive snaps in this game. He allowed one reception on two targets for 16 yards with a pass breakup, and he was penalized twice.
“He played obviously a lot more snaps on defense this week and obviously had the penalty, but I was pleased, I was proud of the way he competed,” Coen said. “We’re going to need more of it. We’re going to need him to continue to ascend, and I was pleased with the way he played overall.”
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Liam Coen evaluates play of Jaguars Travis Hunter on defense in Week 2