JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars still have some work to do.
That is the biggest takeaway from the Jaguars' 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Jaguars made far too many self-inflicted mistakes, though, and dropped to 4-2 to give the Texans some life in the AFC South as a result.
So, which Jaguars played well and have rising stocks after the close loss, and whose stocks are falling after the eye-opening loss to Houston? We break it down below.
Riser: CB/WR Travis Hunter
I mean ... this one is obvious. For the first time in his NFL career, Travis Hunter was able to make a game-changing play on both sides of the ball. He produced four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown despite only playing nine offensive snaps, while he played 98% of the Jaguars' defensive snaps and recorded a red-zone interception. Hunter is a special player, and it sure seems like the Jaguars are willing to continue to let him show off why. It will be fascinating to see how his role develops over the final two-thirds of the season.
"Yeah, that's kind of who he is. We got to continue to get him the ball and keep building off of it and make sure it fits within the rhythm and flow of the game, but he definitely helped put us in a position to win that game today," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the game Sunday.
Faller: WR Brian Thomas Jr.
This game felt like the end of an era for Brian Thomas Jr. The Jaguars' third-year receiver was targeted twice in the first-half on plays that would have put the Jaguars in field goal position, but both passes ended up incomplete after hitting his hands. Thomas played 15 snaps in the first half but did not play a single snap in the second half, and Coen did not give Thomas a vote of confidence when asked about him after the game. This felt like the game that we will look back on and say it led to the final straw in Thomas' tenure with the franchise.
Riser: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. had his best game of the season in Week 6, rushing 11 times for 55 yards and consistently showing off the ability to break tackles and get yards after contact. Rodriguez has quickly picked up his play over the last few weeks after a slow start to the season, and it has increasingly felt like he and Bhayshul Tuten are forming the 1-2 punch the Jaguars pictured when they signed him.
“What we’ve excelled at I feel, honestly, is a new line of scrimmage. We say that from the O-lineman standpoint. The best runs are when you can get those guys off the ball and create a second line of scrimmage. I feel like we've done a pretty good job of that. And, for me, I’d just say running downhill, trying to get back into a rhythm and flow of being who I am and being who got me here, essentially," Rodriguez said this week.
Faller: CB Jarrian Jones
Jarrian Jones has had some strong moments this season, but he has also been at the mercy of being the marked man in the Jaguars' secondary. Quarterbacks are simply not testing Travis Hunter very much, which means Jones has been the most-targeted cornerback in football through six weeks. He has fought through this for impressive performances some weeks, but this was not one of them. Jones had some penalty issues, gave up an explosive play, and had a missed tackle on a Texans touchdown run.
Riser: LT Walker Little
Despite playing the best defensive end duo in the NFL in Week 6, Walker Little had very few issues. The Jaguars' veteran offensive tackle was up to the task of slowing down Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, and accoding to Pro Football Focus he recorded just two pressures on 44 pass-blocking snaps. Little will be needed for at least the next few weeks, if not longer, and Sunday was a strong step in the right direction for the long-time Jaguars offensive lineman.
Faller: CB Jourdan Lewis
It is starting to feel like Jarrian Jones might be better off in the slot for the Jaguars. If that is the case, then the Jaguars have a question to answer with veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who had a tough game against the Texans. Lewis allowed the 3rd-and-10 touchdown to Jaylin Noel at the start of the second-half, and he was also at fault for the third-down completion to Woody Mark's on the game's final drive that put the game away. He might have seen his best days in the defense already.
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