The Green Bay Packers have been a different team on defense in October. Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter has flashed the potential that made him the no. 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft.Giants WR Malik Nabers has picked up where he left off last September before tearing his ACL.
Each week, I dive into All-22 coaches film before offering some insight to watch. Here are three developments that could be long-term stories involving some of the best teams and players in the NFL.
When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded significant draft capital to the Cleveland Browns to select Travis Hunter with the no. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, doubters wondered if the Heisman Trophy winner could make his mark as a full-time two-way player.
Most projected him as a standout at wide receiver OR cornerback, but few believed he could excel as a regular on either side of the ball due to the workload and daunting challenge of manning two marquee positions with limited practice reps.
After Hunter suffered a season-ending knee injury during his rookie season, on the verge of taking on a bigger workload at wide receiver, not many expected him to return as a two-way player. The skepticism only intensified coming into this season as the Jaguars projected him as a starting cornerback despite the fact that he logged the majority of his snaps at wide receiver last year. Even with head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone offering detailed explanations that the increase in defensive tackles reflected a change in roster construction, Duval County was bracing for the potential loss of Hunter as a two-way contributor.
The gradual “growth” period designed to help Hunter work his way back from injury while he adjusts to a full-time role as CB1 and offensive specialist frustrates observers who wanted the first round to serve as the Jaguars’ shutdown corner. AND Primary perimeter playmaker on offense. After watching Hunter shine in Week 6 on both sides of the ball, the Jaguars deserve credit for the development plan and how they deployed their budding star over the first few weeks.
The Jaguars used a college tactic to maximize his defensive talent by positioning him as a “cornerback” (the cornerback who lines up on the wide side of the field). They’ve done this in a scheme that features several “Quarter, Quarter, Half” concepts that instruct the cornerback to play read-man coverage against the outside receiver on the wide side of the field. By putting Hunter in that role, the Jags are playing to his strengths as an instinctive coverage corner with exceptional ball skills, letting him get comfortable on both sides of the field. While each rep offers Hunter an opportunity to master his technique and footwork from both ends, Jacksonville has quietly prepared the 6-foot-1, 189-pounder to eventually “ride” the opposing WR1.
The plan paid off last Sunday against the Texans, as Hunter overshadowed Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins. Although he didn’t chase the 6-foot-4, 222-pounder in the slot, Hunter’s ability to line up at outside corner opposite the big-play specialist allowed the Jaguars to play the “best of the best” on defense in key moments. And based on PFF’s numbers, the move worked. Collins caught two of his four targets while being covered by Hunter for 63 yards. Although one of those receptions went for 42 yards on a double play, the second-year pro was in perfect position to protect the ball, but was simply beaten by a pinpoint pass from a red-hot CJ Stroud.
Hunter made changes for the big gain with a critical interception at the goal line that showcased his instincts and awareness in coverage. Hunter positioned himself on the left corner and followed his assignment on a route behind the corner that took him inside before perfectly executing a quick turn to get back into the correct covering position. While Stroud’s errant pass landed squarely on Hunter’s chest, it was the latter’s awareness and instincts that produced the game-changing interception for the Jaguars.
Offensively, the Jaguars increased Hunter’s workload against Houston by using him as a WR3 in their spread formations. He motioned to draw defenders, but Coen also used the pre-snap move to create leverage for his spectacular player on downfield routes. On Hunter’s 19-yard reception in the second quarter, the slick route runner streaked down the field before weaving outside on a key release to set up leverage on a 15-yard dig route. By moving him across the field and snapping the ball while he was in the slot, Hunter won his way with his favorable leverage against an outside linebacker.
Hunter later made another big play on a slant route from the slot, using his speed and quickness to outmaneuver the slot defender. His crafty move at the top of the release separated him for an easy catch from Lawrence. With Hunter also flashing spectacular space-running skills, the fast-paced shot was a low-risk, high-reward item on Coen’s call sheet.
Finally, the Jaguars’ clever placement of Hunter on the tight red zone run created a winnable matchup against a slot linebacker. By lining him up in the backfield before running a corner route that put him behind a short passing route, the Jaguars created a window for Lawrence to drill a safe-handed pass between a pair of linebackers unable to squeeze the route due to the route chaos around them. With Cohen digging deep into his bag of tricks to help Hunter get more touches in an important division game, it looks like the Jaguars are finally ready to highlight their two-way stature in the football world when they return to action after a Week 7 layoff.
2.
Count me among the skeptics who didn’t buy defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s bold assertion that he arrived in Green Bay without a fixed scheme or predetermined playbook. Despite his success building a championship-caliber defense in Philadelphia and serving as a defensive-minded coach with the Arizona Cardinals, I didn’t believe the young defensive architect would build a playbook after evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the Packers’ personnel rather than coming up with a call sheet.
Whatever the case, the Packers defense dismantled Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and Co. in a 23-13 win last Thursday. It marked Green Bay’s third straight game with multiple goals while also holding the opposition to less than 15 points. The stellar performance from a unit missing three defensive linemen, rising star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons ranks among the most dominant performances of the season. It’s a far cry from where this unit was in the opening weeks of this season, much less at the end of last season.
The Cowboys were completely baffled by the Packers’ diverse look, as Gannon showed the football world how to build a scheme around the individual and collective talents of a defensive line loaded with ultra-athletic and aggressive players. With safeties Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams, linebacker Zaire Franklin, tight end Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt settling into their respective roles as disruptors, their playmaker is using a multitude of overload hits and simulated pressures from exotic, preemptive hits on every quarterback.
Additionally, Gannon’s constant “bluff and blitz” tactics challenge the quarterback’s mental and physical stamina, with wrong answers leading to great defenses and big hits that can be turned into turnovers. Additionally, the DC veteran’s crafty chess play will get QBs into critical mistakes that result in pick-sixes by the Packers’ defensive backs.
Green Bay leads the NFL with nine interceptions, thanks to an underwhelming combination of blitz pressure and sticky coverage. The heavy hitter approach taps into the speed, quickness and explosiveness of an athletic group that grows quickly and free in an aggressive scheme.
Studying all-22 coaches’ footage from Week 6, Williams’ perfectly choreographed “save” strategy led to a significant red-zone interception. The aggressive playmaker lined up at the line of scrimmage, then dropped into a “robber” spot to intercept a pass to CeeDee Lamb at the goal line. Deploying the deep middle safety deep in the box to threaten edge pressure, Gannon lured Prescott into throwing a blind defender as part of the pass, leading to a critical mistake by a veteran QB who usually takes care of the ball extremely well.
Javon Bullard’s fourth-down sack late in the fourth quarter was another example of the Packers’ exotic pre-snap disguise that led to an errant throw by Prescott. The Packers’ lined up in a scrimmage with seven linebackers before going into a three-deep zone with the third-year pro swimming in the flat. Although Prescott anticipated pressure with a sprint-out pass, the man-to-zone transition led to a late throw that Bullard knocked down, resulting in a crucial turnover on downs.
The Packers’ success against the Cowboys is part of a three-game hitting streak in which the unit has forced 11 turnovers. As opponents continue to wither under Green Bay’s relentless pressure, Gannon is building the fast, violent scoring machine he promoted when he took the coveted job in the offseason.
3.
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers has quietly posted three straight 100-yard games after missing most of 2025 with a torn ACL. The former top 10 pick has shown no ill effects from the injury, showing exceptional route running ability and plays as the Giants’ WR1.
Since breaking out against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 with a six-catch, 112-yard effort that included a 25-yard touchdown, Nabers has caught 29 passes for 398 yards and a pair of scores on 42 targets. The third-year running back has thrived as the No. 1 option. 1 of New York producing 18 first downs and seven shutouts during this three game stretch. Nabers is again grabbing balls on the perimeter again and making the Giants’ passes brighter as Jameis Winston and now JJ McCarthy have taken to force-feeding the ball.
With Nabers mostly spread out wide and Isaiah Likely positioned in the slot or as an attached tight end, the Giants are forcing opponents to make tough decisions when trying to neutralize their most explosive weapons. If DCs try to take down Nabers in “cloud” coverage (the corner blocks the receiver at the line of scrimmage, with a half-field safety over the top), they risk splitting layers for big gains. And if defenses focus on Likely wide, Nabers has proven he can win one-on-one coverage, with his explosive rate ranking near the top of the charts.
With Nabers’ return adding a new dimension to this offense, future opponents will need a creative plan to handle the Giants’ new big-play specialist.
