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Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. is trying to snap out of a sophomore slump after another costly drop

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Brian Thomas Jr. is in the early stages of a sophomore slump.

The Jacksonville Jaguars receiver, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, has five catches for 60 yards through two weeks despite being targeted a team-high 19 times. He has a drop in each game, including a critical one in a 31-27 debacle at Cincinnati on Sunday.

On fourth-and-5 from the Cincinnati 7, and with the Jaguars leading 27-24, Trevor Lawrence delivered a perfect pass to Thomas short of the first-down marker. But the former LSU standout turned his head before securing the catch and watched the ball fall to the ground.

“It’s super frustrating,” Thomas said. “Just got to put it behind you and go onto the next week.”

The Jaguars (1-1) host Houston on Sunday, a chance to show they can handle adversity better than they have in recent years.

Even though there was no guarantee that Thomas would have gotten the first down, it proved to be a significant turning point. The Bengals drove 92 yards and essentially won the game on backup quarterback Jake Browning’s 1-yard plunge.

Thomas finished with four receptions for 49 yards on 12 targets. Equally as egregious as his drop was a first-half play in which he stopped running across the middle, prompting CBS analyst Logan Ryan to call it a “business decision.” Thomas also appeared to duck on a pass in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

“Just got to be better,” Thomas said. “Go catch the ball. It’s plain and simple. Just go catch the ball.”

Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He was so impressive that Jacksonville’s new regime decided to move on from fellow receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis and build coach Liam Coen’s offense around Thomas.

But Thomas had drop issues throughout training camp and the preseason — red flags that now appear to be trickling into meaningful games.

“We’re all frustrated at different times, and we want to make that play,” Lawrence said. “But just not much to say there. I think he understands the situation, and it is what it is. …

“There’s not much to say. Guys know. … We all got to just own our part, move on and improve.”

What’s working

Jacksonville’s rushing attack was stout for the second consecutive week. The Jags finished with 139 yards on the ground against the Bengals and now lead the league in rushing heading into Monday night games.

Travis Etienne had 71 yards rushing, and rookie Bhayshul Tuten added 42 more. Jacksonville is averaging 169.5 yards rushing a game.

What needs help

The Jaguars were flagged five times over nine plays in the second quarter for illegal shifts. All of them were declined, but the penalties were a glaring misstep for a team playing its first road game under a new regime.

Coen said the staff put “too much on” players with pre-snap movements and silent cadences.

“That’s something that we have to be better at as coaches and go figure out,” he said.

Stock up

Defensive end Travon Walker was a handful for Cincy. He finished with five tackles, including his first sack of the season, and had two more QB hurries. He also knocked batted down a pass. Walker is trying to become the first player in franchise history with double-digit sacks in three consecutive seasons.

Stock down

Two-way star Travis Hunter had an up-and-down day while playing a whopping 85 snaps (42 offense, 43 defense). The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner had three receptions for 22 yards and a pass breakup.

But he also was penalized twice, including on Cincy’s game-winning drive. He was flagged for pass interference on a fourth-and-5 play. Hunter shook his head in disagreement repeatedly afterward.

“I can’t leave it up to the ref,” he said.

Injuries

The Jaguars hope to get CB Montaric Brown (ankle) back against the Texans. He was sidelined early in camp and returned to practice in a limited capacity last week.

Key number

5 – Number of games Lawrence missed last season following Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s violent forearm blow to the facemask. The two will meet on the same field for the first time since Sunday.

Next steps

The Jags will try to do something that eluded them in 2023 (against the Bengals on Monday Night Football) and in 2024 (at Miami in the opener): rebound from a gut-wrenching loss.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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