CINCINNATI — Jacksonville cornerback Travis Hunter intercepted a pass and faked out Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins before returning the ball 30 yards to the Bengals’ 36-yard line, but the play was nullified by a penalty in the Jaguars’ 22-17 win at Paycor Stadium.
After securing the ball, Hunter took a step to his left, delivered a head fake and cut back to his right, sending Higgins to the turf on the play. The return reached the Cincinnati 36, but a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Arik Armstead erased the turnover.
“A lot of people know I play receiver, too, so when I get the ball in my hand, I can make plays like that happen,” Hunter said, describing his ability to create after the interception.
Teammate Jarrian Jones said he was on the other side of the field and did not initially see the sequence. Jones added that Hunter later showed him a clip on social media in the locker room. “He just came [up to me in the locker room and said], ‘You see the bink bink?'” Jones said. “I’m like, ‘bink bink? What’s he talking about?’ … And so he showed me what he did. I was like, ‘That was nasty.’ But he was an offensive player. He’s got that in him. I thought he was going to return it for six.”
Despite the highlight-reel move and the locker-room reaction, the interception and return did not stand after the penalty was called and the play was officially wiped out.
