A strong start to the season was quickly falling by the wayside for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Losing two games in a row, their bye week came at the perfect time to allow them to find their groove again, after being demolished by the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 to the tune of 35-7.
A game against the Las Vegas Raiders, who had just two wins on the season, seemed like the perfect opportunity to find their footing. But through the first half, it hadn’t gone their way as the Raiders led 6-3. Unfortunately, in a continuing scary trend through the first half of the season, Brian Thomas Jr. was once again quiet throughout the period.
What Happened to Brian Thomas Jr.?
As the game went to overtime after a back-and-forth regulation, the Jaguars received a massive blow in the form of an injury to their sophomore wide receiver. An ankle sprain that had been bothering him throughout the game finally became too much to bear.
As a result, he was taken out of the game, and his designation was changed to questionable to return in the contest.
After an explosive rookie season in which he emerged as a game-breaking talent, BTJ’s sophomore season wasn’t going according to plan. A slow start hadn’t shed away completely.
Against the Raiders, a similar trend continued in the first half, as he added two receptions on four targets for 21 receiving yards. The offense for the Jaguars was underwhelming overall, managing less than 150 total yards.
Trevor Lawrence threw for just 100 passing yards and one interception in the end zone, while their only points of the night came as a result of the longest field goal in NFL history at the end of the half.
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Last season, Thomas totaled 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite backup Mac Jones handling quarterback duties for a large swath of the Jaguars’ season. His spectacular rookie season paved the way for him to finish fourth on PFSN’s WR Impact.
This year, though, he hasn’t had nearly the same production or impact. Through seven games, he has just 365 receiving yards and a single touchdown, leading to a ranking of 63, third on the team behind Dyami Brown and Travis Hunter.
In the second half against the Raiders, the game turned even more competitive. Once again, it was a Cam Little field goal attempt near the end of the half that saved the Jaguars, as they tied it at 23 apiece.
Thomas added a third reception to his total, worth 34 yards, to bring his game total to 55 receiving yards as the game went to overtime.