The Seattle Seahawks had so much positivity surrounding them after Week 4, and after three straight victories. But then, Week 5 happened, and the team gave up 38 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a loss. The NFL is also a knee-jerk reaction league.
What a team did in their last game is how they will be forever, right? We know that is not true, but that is how it feels. And feeling is reality.
What made matters worse for the Seahawks defense was that the unit, even despite all the injuries the team suffered, was embarrassed by rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka. He caught all seven of his targets for 163 yards a touchdown.
Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter might be ready to explode against the Seattle Seahawks
He could be the start of a trend against Seattle's defense. In Week 6, Mike Macdonald's unit will face Travis Hunter. Hunter is an exceedingly rare two-way player, who has been solid on defense, but not yet explosive on offense. Seattle could allow that to happen.
On the season, Hunter has caught 16 passes for 182 yards and no touchdowns. Yet. His best game was arguably his last when the Jaguars defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5 and Hunter had three catches for 64 yards.
Is he going to have a game against Seattle like Egbuka did? Maybe not, but he is capable of. Plus, the Seahawks could be without Pro Bowlers Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love again. Maybe cornerback Riq Woolen misses the game while still being in concussion protocol. Even if Woolen plays, there is no guarantee he will be good.
Jacksonville will be without productive tight end Brenton Strange, who was injured in Week 5. This means Hunter could see more targets than normal. He saw eight in Week 1, but has only seen 10 in the last three games combined.
With no Strange, and a lack of overall use of Hunter, this might mean the talented rookie receiver actually sees a lot more targets. If the Seattle Seahawks are without their best players in the secondary, Travis Hunter's slow start to his rookie season (as far as being a receiver; he's been good on defensive reps) could end.
Hunter could finally announce to the rest of the NFL that he is ready to be one of the best and most productive wide receivers in the NFL. All it takes is being very good against a banged-up Seahawks secondary. That could easily happen.