Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks (21) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Travis Hunter Scores Unreal Stat in MNF Win Over Chiefs

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 10:04 AM ET

There's been a ton of discourse around Travis Hunter Jr. this season. That's only a natural part of playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars. On top of that, the team gave up a ransom to move up in the 2025 NFL Draft to acquire him, trading an additional third-round selection as well as their number one in 2026 to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for his talents.

For the price they paid to get him, many didn't believe that the Jaguars were getting the value they wanted out of the second-overall pick, especially fantasy football analysts. The expectation was that he would be a major force for Jacksonville in the passing game, primarily as an offensive weapon, even though the team made it clear that they would deploy him on both sides of the ball this season.

Between his spotty usage as a wide receiver and the low statistical impact he had as a result, there was speculation that Head Coach Liam Coen and the rest of the Jaguars staff had tasked their rookie with too much — that perhaps letting him play on both offense and defense was detrimental to his development as a wide receiver and a cornerback. He proved otherwise in Jacksonville's upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5's Monday Night Football showdown.

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Travis Hunter Jr. dominated Monday Night Football

Travis Hunter Jr. didn't have the most eye-popping performance on the stat sheet for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. However, he played a huge part in leading his team to an upset win over the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in primetime. He finished his Monday Night Football debut with three catches for 64 yards on offense, while tallying two solo tackles and a pass defended on the other side of the ball.

He might not have run up huge numbers on the box score, but he was undeniably impactful. Two of his receptions were among the biggest plays of the night for the Jaguars' offense: a 12-yard catch-and-run where he made two Chiefs' defenders miss to pick up a critical first-down conversion, and a monster 44-yard contested grab on a seam route that led to a game-tying touchdown for Jacksonville.

top five Jaguars in Week 5 PFF grading

CB Travis Hunter (82.9)
DE Josh Hines-Allen (80.8)
CB Montaric Brown (79.7)
LB Devin Lloyd (78.8)
WR Travis Hunter (77.0) https://t.co/sH8Ufr4QiR
— Gus Logue (@gus_logue) October 7, 2025

On defense, he spent most of the night shadowing Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs' top wideout with Rashee Rice still serving a six-week suspension. He helped to contain him to just six catches for 42 yards. He was absolutely elite on both offense and defense, earning the highest grade from Pro Football Focus on both sides of the ball for the Jaguars. Anyone who doubted that Hunter Jr. could succeed as a wide receiver and a cornerback needs to revisit their concerns.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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