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Editor’s note: This is the seventh installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 7 winner: Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Tank Bigsby’s face lit up.
After the Jaguars’ 37-34 victory over the Colts earlier this month, Jacksonville’s first win of the season, a reporter asked the second-year running back about teammate Brian Thomas Jr. That’s when Bigsby flashed a smile. He marveled at how the rookie wide receiver looked like “lightning” on the field.
The No. 23 overall pick, Thomas reached a maximum speed of 22.15 mph on his 85-yard catch and run touchdown in the game, the fastest speed by a ball carrier this season, and the fastest play by a Jaguars ball carrier since at least 2016, according to Next Gen Stats.
“I pulled him to the sideline and said, ‘Boy, you were running like a deer,'” Bigsby said.
And he’s continued to as the season has worn on.
Thomas caught all five of his targets for 89 yards and a touchdown, plus a successful two-point conversion, in the Jaguars’ 32-16 rout of the New England Patriots in London on Sunday. His speed was evident on his 58-yard reception that set up a touchdown in the second quarter, when Jacksonville erupted for 22 points, the fourth-most points the franchise has ever scored in the period.
Establishing himself as the Jaguars’ WR1, the former LSU star has at least five catches and 80 receiving yards in three of his past four games. His numbers rank among the league’s best receivers regardless of experience. Through Week 7, he ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards (513), eighth in yards per reception (17.1), touchdown receptions (4) and receiving yards per game (73.3), and 11th in yards per target (11.4).
Among the 39 wide receivers with at least 37 targets, he’s also ninth in NFL passer rating when targeted (116.2), according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think each week he keeps getting better and better,” coach Doug Pederson said…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/how-jaguars-rookie-brian-thomas-jr-has-become-dangerous-wr1-so-quickly
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Publish date : 2024-10-22 19:38:36
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