Travis Hunter scores his first NFL TD but Jaguars struggle in 35-7 loss to Rams

LONDON (AP) — With his team trailing 28-0, Travis Hunter wanted to make something — anything — happen for the Jaguars.

“I just told Coach to give me the ball. I’ll go out there and make a play,” Jacksonville's star rookie said. “He got me the ball and I just did what I had to do.”

Hunter's 34-yard reception for a score was his first NFL touchdown, but it was just a consolation prize in Jacksonville’s 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

“I was just thinking about putting points on the board for my team,” the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner said.

Given the circumstances, Hunter opted not to celebrate. He just jogged back to the bench with the ball in his hands. He said he'll give it to his son.

Hunter finished with eight receptions for 101 yards — his best day as a pro.

“They were holding him,” Trevor Lawrence said of the touchdown pass. "But (he) fought through contact, still made the play on the ball.

“Everybody sees how special he is when you give him opportunities,” Lawrence added. “Our chemistry and seeing the game the same — I think it’s getting there. There’s still a lot of meat on the bone to take advantage of. He just makes plays whenever the ball comes to him.”

Jags coach Liam Coen said this week that he’d look for ways to get Hunter more involved in the offense.

“There definitely was a plan going into the game that we wanted utilize him more on the offensive side of the ball, specifically trying to get the ball into his hands,” Coen said.

“The first half was just kind of funky, the way we couldn’t get anybody the ball consistently and get into a rhythm,” Coen said. "He was able to make some plays in the second half, Trevor was able to find him on some things that were obviously designed to go to him in some ways.

“Happy that he got his first touchdown — tough to see it come in that moment.”

Coen had wanted his team to play with their “hair on fire.”

Lawrence had Hunter open on the Jaguars’ first offensive play. He took a sack.

“I’ve just got to put it on him,” Lawrence said.

“We’ve got to start the games faster,” he added. “There’s some plays that I’ve got to make early to get us going, and it’s routine stuff.”

The Jags fell behind 14-0 as Matthew Stafford completed passes to a variety of Rams receivers.

The Jags committed 13 penalties for 119 yards, perhaps none more costly than Jarrian Jones' illegal block to nullify a would-be touchdown on a punt return by Parker Washington.

It was still 14-0 at that point.

On the drive, Brian Thomas Jr. had a key drop on a third down — a recurring issue with the receiver — and Cam Little then missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt.

The Rams then moved the ball and scored for a 21-0 lead.

“We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” Hunter said. “The most disciplined team wins. They out-disciplined us.”

Lawrence was sacked seven times for the second straight game.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) is challenged by Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) during the second half of an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches the ball as Los Angeles Rams Emmanuel Forbes Jr. closes in during the second half of an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs onto the field for an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reaches to catch the ball as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (14) challenges during the first half of an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Galileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)