JACKSONVILLE - Two-way standout Travis Hunter recorded his first NFL interception at a critical moment late in the first half Sunday, anchoring a three-takeaway defensive performance as the Jacksonville Jaguars dismantled the New England Patriots 35-6 in a Week 3 game at EverBank Stadium.
With the Patriots facing third-and-goal from the 2-yard line and trailing 14-3, quarterback Drake Maye - last season’s NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up - rolled outside the pocket and threw to the back of the end zone, where Hunter contorted his body in the air to haul in the interception and preserve the halftime lead. Head Coach Liam Coen called it a “huge play, critical moment, critical situation.”
“We get those plays in practice. The coach did a great job scheming it up for us. He called the perfect call for us. We all talked and we communicated on my side of the ball and I just made it happen,” Hunter said. The wide receiver/cornerback added that Maye had tested him repeatedly before the pick: “He tried me a couple of times. I was just in there saying, ‘I’m getting too close to the ball, I got to get me one.’ We just continued to do what the coaches schemed up for us, and we just played our best ball today.”
The Jaguars’ first takeaway came earlier, when nose tackle DaVon Hamilton recovered a fumble by Maye with just under 4:00 left in the first quarter. Hamilton, who also recorded a sack, set the tone for a defense that would force three turnovers on the day. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence then capped a 10-play, 62-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Josh Cameron - a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft - giving Jacksonville a 7-0 lead with 13:25 remaining in the second quarter.
Wide receiver Parker Washington delivered the knockout blow in the third quarter, hauling in a 17-yard touchdown on a ball thrown just off the ground to cap a 15-play, 72-yard drive and push the lead to 21-3 with 1:08 remaining in the period. “I wasn’t even thinking I was about to get it, but run every route to win, and Trevor trusted me to cross face and make the play, and we made the play,” Washington said.
Ccornerback Jarrian Jones then sealed the outcome on the first offensive play after Washington’s score, intercepting Maye on a coverage snap against Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams. “I just had to win,” Jones said. Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. followed with a 5-yard touchdown run to push the margin to 28-3. “It was great,” Hunter said of Jones’ interception. “I was on the sideline, so I had to strap on my helmet to make sure I didn’t get a flag, but I had to go celebrate with him.”
The Jaguars return to action in Week 4, with the three-takeaway performance and 29-point margin of victory providing momentum heading into the next contest.