The Jacksonville Jaguars entered week 5 with a dominating 4-1 record, but on Sunday, they turned out to be a sloppy mess in the 20-12 loss against the Seattle Seahawks. Ten penalties for 76 yards, seven sacks, 27 pressures allowed, a missed field goal, missed PAT, and three drops….it was a disaster for Jacksonville. But what came in as the biggest gut punch was from Travis Hunter‘s offside penalty that wiped a 54-yard touchdown by Thomas Jr. Hunter, who is quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s top target this season, and even owned up to his mistake later.

“Hey, that’s on me. I just got to do better. Make sure I’m looking on the sideline. Make sure I know what he gave me, and also the drop,” Hunter said after the game. “I just got to be able to be in the right spot for Trevor. He thought I was going to come out faster than what I did, which I should have. So that was on me.”

The missed touchdown’s lost points could’ve changed the game, but instead, the Jaguars had to punt the ball. Well, it appears that the penalties have become a painful trend for Jacksonville. They’ve lost at least nine accepted penalties in four of six games, including a season high 12 against San Francisco. The offensive line was accountable for the setback, including the leader of the offense, Lawrence, who wasn’t blameless either.

He was sacked 7 times, the most in his five-year career. The 27 pressures were the most any quarterback has faced since Patrick Mahomes got hit 28 times in week 9 of the 2022 season. Head coach Liam Coen was also compelled to voice his opinion after witnessing such a disappointing performance.

“It’s probably a combination of some good players on their side in beating us … And then whether we’re being able to progress or not, being able to get back to other throws,” Coen said. “Maybe didn’t feel like he had enough time in some ways.”

Travis Hunter’s penalty costs a crucial touchdown to Brian Thomas Jr.

It was a rough outing for Travis Hunter on Sunday. He finished with four catches for just 15 yards as the Seahawks’ defense blocked him every time he touched the ball. This made it difficult to carve out lanes for running. His lone highlight was a 14-yard gain. This signals that his other three combined for an average of minus 1 (-1) yard, starting with a 3-yard loss on the third play of the game.

Hunter also had one drop, but his biggest mistake came in the third quarter. On 3rd and long with the Jaguars down two scores, Trevor Lawrence launched a deep pass to Thomas Jr. down the right sideline. After a commendable deflection from a Seahawks defender, Thomas somehow managed it and sprinted unbothered into the end zone. But the celebration didn’t last long as a flag flew on the field.

The reply showed that Hunter had lined up offside before the snap, wiping out the 54-yard touchdown. “I thought I checked with the ref,” Hunter said. “That’s on me.”

The Jaguars did eventually find the end zone on the drive, with Lawrence hitting Tim Patrick for a 26-yard score after burning more than three minutes off the clock.

Despite the frustration, Coen believes the Jags are in a good spot this week. The team will fly overseas on Monday, giving them a chance to regroup, set the tone, and focus on cleaning up the self-inflicted mistakes that led them to a loss against Seattle. “It’s got to get fixed,” Coen said. “It’s a great opportunity this week to get it fixed, right? We’re going on the road. We’re flying to another country. Being together as a group, looking ourselves in the mirror and try to figure out from an operation and habit standpoint what is standing in our way.”