Shipley's Dozen: 12 Takes on Jaguars' Vibes After Patriots Win, Travis Hunter and More

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Another week, another dozen freshly-baked Jacksonville Jaguars takes to kick off your Monday morning.

The Jaguars are in a pretty great spot after Week 3, with their 35-6 win over the New England Patriots feeling like one of the more "feel-good" home wins in recent Jaguars memory. The vibes are good, the spirits are high, the quarterback is playing well, and the Jaguars are 2-1.

In this week's 'Shipley's Dozen' column, I will take a look at my biggest thoughts and feelings from the Week 3 win, and what it could mean for Liam Coen's upstart squad moving forward.

Travis Hunter's Day as a CB1

nfl — Sep 27, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs out for player introductions prior to a game against the New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars gave everyone the increase in reps for Travis Hunter that they were asking for. Maybe not for those who were hoping to see Hunter more on offense, but the Jaguars let Hunter be the closest thing to a full-time cornerback he has ever been in his NFL career. Hunter played a career-high 45 defensive snaps on Sunday, also giving him a career high in terms of defensive snap % played. The last time he hit cornerback participation numbers anywhere close to this was in Weeks 2 and 3 a year ago.

I think the argument that the Jaguars are simply easing Hunter in after his injury looks closer to being accurate than anything else. Whether he actually plays big snaps at receiver at any point this season remains to be seen, but the Jaguars have given him more work at cornerback in back-to-back weeks. He is close to being the top dog at cornerback, and plays like his interception are evidence why patience was worth it.

The BTJ Conundrum

nfl — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) reacts to his reception during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I am a bit at a loss for where things have gotten with Brian Thomas Jr. He played the exact same amount of snaps as sixth-round receiver Josh Cameron with 23. That is compared to the 50 snaps apiece that Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers both played. Thomas was already the Jaguars' WR3, and now it looks like he is giving up ground at that spot to Cameron. I still think Thomas is far too talented for such a reduced role, and if this is how things will play out, I will finally advocate for the Jaguars to deal Thomas. I wouldn't have said so before, but things have simply gotten too far gone on this front.

Liam Coen is All-In on Bhayshul Tuten

nfl — Sep 27, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) runs for a gain during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I have said in this space before that Liam Coen is such an open book when it comes to how he talks about the game that you can often gauge where he stands on players pretty easily. When it came to Bhayshul Tuten at the end of the 2025 season, it was clear that Coen wanted Tuten to simply do a bit more. Tuten has done that and then done, and I thought Sunday might have been the best he has looked as a pure runner in the NFL. I asked Coen about Tuten after the game, and he once again gave some revealing quotes.

It was kind of building. It's been building a little bit. We wanted to continue to get him more ops and it's always that balance of trying to keep the guys fresh and understand that it's a long year and you want to keep these guys fresh and feeling good. But also so much about playing the running back position is about attrition. It's about getting in the flow of the game and being able to understand how they're playing some of the schemes, and how our O-line is blocking some of the schemes, so I was very pleased with his ‘run after contact’ this week again. I thought he had some runs, especially I think it was the first run of a quasi-four minute, we had a toss on their sideline where it kind of got strung out and he stuck his foot in the ground and not run out of bounds, to make somebody miss and to get vertical. If we can run the ball effectively like that, it just makes everybody's job so much easier ... I think he was going to have a shot to go [the distance]. But very proud of Tuten. He's been a pro's pro. I think he's really growing up before our eyes.

Anton Harrison Took Over at LT

The Patriots have one of the worst EDGE rooms in the NFL even when they have everyone healthy, and the fact they were missing their top two edge rushers on Sunday in Harold Landry and Dre'Mont Jones didn't help. But even with that in mind, what a game from Anton Harrison. He allowed just one pressure on 31 pass-blocking snaps, and he also had plays like this one below. Harrison had a rough day against Denver, but he wasn't alone. In the eight other quarters of football this year, he has absolutely taken over games.

Anton Harrison tossing Christian Gonzalez dot gif pic.twitter.com/wKEY8XrgNo
— J2K (@jhorge_d) September 27, 2026

Ventrell Miller is Playing Himself Into Extension Consideration

How many Jaguars are playing better through three weeks than Ventrell Miller? He was once again all over the field on Sunday, whether as a blitzer or against the run. He is playing the same amount of snaps Devin Lloyd was a year ago, a clear sign he has won the job at linebacker and is not giving it back -- just like Lloyd did against Miller last season. If Miller keeps up the pace he is on, he could quickly play himself into some serious contract extension consideration. This regime may not want to throw money at linebackers, but Miller seems like one of the most important members of the defense.

Appreciate This Run Defense

How about this stat from the Jaguars' PR team: The Jaguars have gone 20 straight games not allowing a 75-yard rusher, tied for the fourth-longest such streak in the last 50 seasons. There has not been a single individual rushing performance against the Anthony Campanile-led defense that has ever made enough of a dent to be remembered. TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson combined for 15 carries for 45 yards, and neither had a longer run than five yards. This is a special run defense. Appreciate it while Campanile is here.

Drake Maye Looks Like Pre-Liam Coen Trevor Lawrence

I feel for Drake Maye, but goodness gracious was he bad on Sunday. He wasn't even the classic style of bad where he is simply an oaf play in and play out and inspires no hope, either. He had some solid throws and led the Patriots to the red-zone several times. He also looked like one of the best athletes on the field. But he had three different meme-worthy turnovers and it feels like his supporting cast and play-caller are both below-average at the same exact time. That ... reminds me a lot of Trevor Lawrence before Liam Coen. Maye needs his Coen, because we saw what happened with Lawrence. The talent was never an issue, and now that Lawrence has stability around him he has grown into one of the NFL's best passers.

What Shocked Me

I was shocked that Jaguars kicker Cam Little didn't make his 70-yard field goal, which is an outrageous sentence. I fully expected Little to hit the record-breaking field goal at the end of the half, and he genuinely almost did. I think the Jaguars will give Little another chance at making one, and I think he will make it eventually in his time with the Jaguars. Cam Little has a giant leg, and the Jaguars are willing to push the envelope with him.

What Didn't Shock Me

Seeing Jakobi Meyers have a big day. Meyers is a critical part of the offense, and I really do think the biggest factor with Lawrence is his trust with his pass-catchers. Lawrence trusts Meyers at every level of the field, and that turned into Meyers catching several tight-window passes from Lawrence on Sunday. He is clearly the WR2 despite the lack of targets over the first two weeks.

Jaguar of the Week

nfl — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Josh Cameron (19) celebrates his touchdown in the first quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 27, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Josh Cameron caught a touchdown, made a big special teams tackle, and returned a kick nearly 50 yards for the best kick return of the Jaguars' season. He has become this year's LeQuint Allen, and he might be an even more impactful player.

AFC South Check In

nfl — Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) throws the ball during a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Sep 27, 2026, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The AFC South had an interesting slate of games Sunday. The Jaguars had the toughest test by drawing the New England Patriots, while the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans faced off in a battle of 0-2 teams. The Tennessee Titans should have had a winnable game on the road against Jameis Winston and the New York Giants, too.

The Jaguars pretty easily took care of business against the Patriots at home, which meant they could kick back and watch the fireworks elsewhere in the division. The Titans looked absolutely abhorrent against the Giants, losing 12-7 in a game that very well might have set football back a few decades. The Giants averaged 4.1 yards per play and still won because the Titans' offense is so broken, and Cam Ward is already facing benching questions. I like Cam Ward a lot, but he looks bad, and the Titans are several years away from being able to foster the development of a quarterback. The Titans are in their darkest days yet. The defense played hard, though. Which is nice.

I was honestly more shocked by the results of Texans-Colts than maybe any other game this season. Houston has fought back from these kinds of holes before, but things look bleak on offense. They still can not block or run the ball, and they look like one of the easiest offenses to face when Nico Collins is out. The Colts won but still, well, do not look good. I still have the Texans as the second-best team in the AFC South.

Early Week 4 Thoughts

nfl — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Travis Hunter (12) breaks up a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (80) before a pass interference penalty is called in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. The Bengals came back from a halftime deficit to win 31-27. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Bengals have, for some reason, been a bit of a boogeyman for the Jaguars over the last few years. A rookie Trevor Lawrence lost on the road to the Bengals on Thursday Night Football in 2021 and, well, we don't need to rehash everything that followed that game with Urban Meyer. We could, but we do not need to.

Then there was the 2023 Monday Night Football game that saw Lawrence get injured on a sack. He avoided serious injury, but the Jaguars lost the first game of what would be a complete collapse after an 8-3 start. Then there was Week 2 last year, with the Jaguars losing 31-27 after allowing the Jake Browning-led Bengals offense score 21 points in the second-half.

The Bengals are a weird team. The Jaguars are, by historical standards, a weird team. Things get weird when they play each other as a result, and my early thought on Week 4 is that I do not expect much of this to change. The Bengals' defense looked mortal in a 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers though. This is as winnable as all their other tough games have been.

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