One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the opener was how many snaps Travis Hunter was going to play. After all, the former Colorado Buffalo made it clear during the pre-draft process that he wasn't going to go to a team that limited him to one side of the ball. Fortunately for him, the Jags were willing to entertain his unwavering request, so they prepared him for his unique role in the preseason.
Week 1 came, and Hunter mostly saw playing time at receiver. He did log six snaps on defense, but that was a far cry from the full-time role he envisioned. That said, there was a reason for Jacksonville to hold him back.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner missed the last two preseason games with an upper-body injury, which prevented him from being part of the defensive stall for the game against the Carolina Panthers. Hunter is now back at full strength, and head coach Liam Coen has made it clear that he'll see an uptick in playing time on defense in Week 2.
The West Palm Beach native has previously shown that he can play corner at a high level. Having no limitations ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals games, he'll be an important piece of the defensive game plan. So with that in mind, here are three bold predictions for Week 2.
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Travis Hunter the corner will register an INT and 2 PBUs for the Jaguars
The Jaguars tried to get Travis Hunter involved against the Panthers, and rightly so. Why wouldn't you want to get the ball to your playmakers? On defense, he had a tackle, and his sticky coverage allowed Dawuane Smoot to bring down Bryce Young.
déjà vu — Travis Hunter with sticky coverage on a sack by Dawuane Smoot pic.twitter.com/ktwiw9QobL
— Gus Logue (@gus_logue) September 8, 2025
Hunter will have an expanded role against the Cincinnati Bengals and is going to make the most out of it, picking off Joe Burrow and registering two passes defensed. He will also get a few catches on offense but will stand out for his work at corner.
The Jaguars are going to limit Joe Burrow to less than 200 yards, 2 INTs
The Jaguars beat a lesser Carolina Panthers team in the opener, but that shouldn't take anything away from their dominant three-takeway performance on defense. Next, they'll face a more talented Bengals team, but Anthony Campanile's unit will be up to the task.
Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun may or may not play. He missed practice due to illness. However, Jacksonville will still have enough talent to slow down the elite receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Their pass rush will routinely bring the heat and prevent Joe Burrow from finding a rhythm. And after throwing for just 113 yards in the opener, he'll once again be kept under 200 yards in Week 2. On top of that, the Jacksonville defense will pick him off twice.
The Jaguars will make sure Chase Brown is a non-factor
You have to give credit to the Bengals for committing to establishing the run. Even though the Cleveland Browns stymied them in the opener, they kept pounding the football, even if they didn't get the results they expected.
Chase Brown toted the rock 21 times for 43 yards, and the Browns limited the Cincinnati running game to an average of 2.0 yards per carry.
Make no mistake, Brown is no slouch. He had a promising sophomore campaign in 2024, racking up 229 carries for 990 yards with seven touchdowns. Having said that, the Jaguars will once again keep him in check and limit him to less than 50 yards.
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