Travis Hunter recorded the first interception of his NFL career Sunday, giving the Jacksonville Jaguars a defensive milestone during their home game against the New England Patriots.
Hunter intercepted Drake Maye’s pass for Efton Chism III in the end zone on third-and-goal with 1:02 left before halftime. The play ended a Patriots scoring opportunity and gave Jacksonville possession through a touchback.
The takeaway came in Hunter’s third game of his second professional season. The former Colorado star entered Sunday without an interception in either of Jacksonville’s first two games, after also finishing his injury-shortened rookie regular season without one.
Hunter had recorded five solo tackles through the opening two weeks of 2026, including four in Jacksonville’s loss at Denver. His defensive contribution has become the larger part of his workload as the Jaguars continue to manage his use at both cornerback and wide receiver.
In the season-opening victory over Cleveland, Hunter played 27 snaps on defense and four on offense, according to NFL Research. Jacksonville entered the Patriots game looking to increase his offensive involvement after giving him just 10 offensive snaps through two weeks.
His rookie season had offered a different balance. Hunter caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown in seven games in 2025 before a knee injury ended his season. He missed Jacksonville’s final 10 regular-season games.
The Jaguars selected Hunter second overall in the 2025 draft after his college career at Jackson State and Colorado. His ability to contribute on both sides of the ball made his professional deployment a central question from the start.
Hunter had demonstrated his ball skills during this summer’s training camp, intercepting a pass from backup quarterback Nick Mullens and making a contested downfield catch from Trevor Lawrence in the same practice. Sunday brought his first interception in an NFL regular-season game.
Jacksonville went on to beat New England 35–6, improving to 2–1 and dropping the Patriots to 1–2. This report has been updated with the final result.
Read the complete report
This page is an original Sporting Page summary. The reporting remains with CBS Sports live play-by-play.
Read at CBS Sports live play-by-play
