CINCINNATI, Ohio – He played a lot, and that was good.

Travis Hunter said he felt fine afterward, too – and if he wasn't surprised by that, it was still noteworthy after the Jaguars' rookie wide receiver/defensive back played extensively on both offense and defense in his second NFL regular-season game.

"I was prepared for the moment, prepared to do my job – I just have to make a couple more plays," Hunter said after the Jaguars' 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Hunter, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, played 39 snaps on offense and 42 on defense according to reports immediately after Sunday's game. He played 42 snaps on offense and six on defense in a Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

"I didn't see him do anything necessarily bad," Head Coach Liam Coen said. "I thought he had good energy out there."

Hunter caught three passes for 22 yards after catching six passes for 33 yards against the Panthers.

"He's a great player and we have to continue to keep him involved just because he's really good with the ball in his hands," quarterback Trevor Lawrence said.

Hunter said afterward he felt "great."

"I feel like I could go out there and play some more," he said, adding of playing so much both offensively and defensively, "This is what I want to do. There are a lot of people that I think continue to doubt me, but I just go out there and do my job. I'll let them say whatever they want to say."

Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones, who played 73 percent of defensive plays in Week 1, sustained a back injury early Sunday and returned to the game later. Coen said the plan entering the game was to play Hunter more than in Week 1.

"Jarrian got nicked up a little bit, so it forced [Hunter to play] a little bit more naturally even though we wanted to get him a little bit more work as it was," Coen said. "He just keeps competing. I didn't get a great chance to watch him individually. I just know I don't think he hurt us."

Said Hunter: "They told me I would play a lot more defense. I was prepared and ready."

Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2024, was involved in a key play late when he was called for pass interference defending wide receiver Andrei Iosivas. The play came on fourth-and-five from the Bengals 33 and gave the Bengals a first down at the Jaguars 42.

The Bengals scored the game-winning touchdown eight plays later on a one-yard sneak by quarterback Jake Browning.

"I can't leave it up to the ref; I just have to do my job and put myself in a better position," Hunter said, with Coen adding: "They call a pass interference on fourth down … I'd like to them maybe go earn it, but it is what it is."

NOTABLE WEEK 2 MOMENTS

• The Jaguars on Sunday rushed for 139 yards on 27 carries, their second consecutive strong running performance to start the season after rushing for 200 yards on 32 carries in Week 1.
• Running back Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries Sunday, with rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten rushing for 42 yards on eight carries and rookie running back LeQuint Allen Jr. rushing twice for 13 yards.
• "I thought it was a little slow to get going at times, but efficient," Coen said of the rushing offense. "I think we ran it well. Both of them — all three, really — ran hard and made some plays when they did get hit at the line of scrimmage, or behind the line of scrimmage. I was pleased with those guys. And I thought the front really played well."

QUOTABLE PRESS CONFERENCE MOMENTS

• Coen on Lawrence, who completed 24 of 42 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions while having multiple passes – including two potential touchdowns in the fourth quarter – dropped: "The turnovers are hard, but if it's his fault, I can't say. I've got to watch it. I thought he competed his tail off. I thought he was getting us in and out of the right things and made a lot of good throws. He made some really good throws for us. I have to look at some of the ones he missed, and see what that looked like, but we can win with him playing like that and limiting obviously the turnovers. I was very proud of the competitor that he was today."