When the Jacksonville Jaguars listed Travis Hunter on the injury report Thursday, the expectation was that he would be good to go against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9. Unfortunately, head coach Liam Coen announced one day later that the Jags are placing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner on the Injured Reserve, meaning that he’ll miss at least a month of football.
The good news is that Hunter’s ACL appears to be intact, but even if he returns in the midst of a playoff run later in the season, Jacksonville needs better play from the wide receiver position. The issue is that aside from No. 12, the team will also be without Tim Patrick when they face the Raiders.
The top brass should strongly consider trading for help at wide receiver. That said, they’ll need their current group, and especially Brian Thomas Jr., to come through in Week 9. With this in mind, here are three truly insane predictions for the Raiders game.
Brian Thomas Jr. will log 130 yards and 2 touchdowns
After a weekend in which trade chatter involving Brian Thomas Jr. ran rampant, the Jaguars emphatically stated that they’re not trading the second-year receiver. Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence expressed confidence that he’ll turn the corner in spite of his struggles earlier this season.
It’s also worth noting that Thomas didn’t go off right away in his rookie season. It took him a bit of time to hit his stride, and one of his best games came agains the Las Vegas Raiders when he hauled in nine receptions for 132 yards.
Since then, the Raiders defense hasn’t improved much, so Thomas will have a great opportunity to repay the Jaguars’ trust. He’ll do that with a 130-yard game and two touchdowns.
Josh Hines-Allen will register 3 sacks and a forced fumble for the Jaguars
It hasn’t been discussed nearly enough because Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr. have gotten the spotlight, but Josh Hines-Allen is having a quiet campaign despite the fact that he’s not hurt. Seven weeks into the season, he’s yet to log a sack and hasn’t made enough plays to validate a contract that pays him an average of $28.5 million per year.
The good news is that Hines-Allen will face an underwhelming Las Vegas offensive line. That could be the kind of matchup he needs to once again join the conversation as one of the top pass rushers in the NFL.
Trevor Lawrence will flip the switch and torch the Raiders defense
The Jaguars will be without several key players when they face the Raiders, so it will be up to Trevor Lawrence to pick up the slack. The 2021 first overall pick has had trouble hitting his stride under Liam Coen, but it hasn’t helped that his receivers are having trouble reeling in the football.
That said, Lawrence needs to step up and put the team on his shoulders when Jacksonville plays the Silver & Black. He’ll throw for 300 yards for the first time this season with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Lawrence will also get an assist from Travis Etienne, who’ll take a bit of pressure off his shoulders and keep the Raiders defense on its toes.
