JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It took 385 days, but Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter finally grabbed his first career NFL interception.
And when he came down with the ball in the back of the end zone, it came with a small dose of relief, too.
"Yeah, a little bit," Hunter said after the Jaguars' 35-6 victory over the New England Patriots at EverBank Stadium on Sunday. "Interceptions are great to catch, but I was focused on winning the game and continuing to focus on the next play."
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was trying to hit receiver Efton Chism III in the back corner of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 2 with 1:02 remaining in the first half. Hunter outjumped Chism for the ball, preserving the Jaguars' 14-3 lead.
It was the first turnover Hunter has forced in his career. He had three pass breakups and 15 tackles in the first seven games of 2025 before a knee injury ended his season. He had one pass breakup and five tackles this season before Sunday.
"Travis to make the play, get the little bit of the monkey off his back a little bit in some ways to go out there and make a huge play [was critical]," Jaguars coach Liam Coen said.
Hunter came close to recovering Maye's fumble three plays earlier, but the QB recovered it at the Jaguars' 5. That only added to his sense of urgency to finally grab his first turnover.
"I know [Maye] tried me a couple times [with some throws], so I was just in there saying, 'I'm getting too close to the ball. I've got to get me one,'" Hunter said. "So we just continued to just do what the coaches schemed up for us and we just played our best part of it."
Hunter finished with four tackles on defense. He played five snaps on offense but didn't touch the football.
He has played 16 snaps on offense this season and has one catch and one carry, both of which came in the season opener against Cleveland.
