The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't had many reasons to celebrate this season, with the emergency of wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. being one of the few. Even though they had trouble getting the offense going, the rookie sensation has routinely come through for them. And in Week 15, he helped the Jags get a favorable grade from John Breech of CBS Sports despite the fact that they lost 32-25 to the New York Jets.
Breech graded all NFL teams who played in Week 15 and granted a respectable B- to Jacksonville, pointing out that they've been fun to watch in 2024 partly because Thomas has been a stud.
"The Jaguars might not be winning games, but they can still be fun to watch and that starts with Brian Thomas Jr. The rookie receiver kept Jacksonville in this game with two touchdowns. Not to mention, he also caught 10 passes for 105 yards.
Brenton Strange also made a name for himself with a career-high 11 catches for 73 yards. Strange got more playing time than usual due to the injury to Evan Engram. The Jags' defense did a good job of keeping the Jets in check during a first half where New York totaled just 104 yards, but Jacksonville imploded in the second half, which is why the Jets were able to steal the game. "
Thomas, a first-round pick in this year's draft, entered the game needing 15 yards to break Justin Blackmon's franchise record for most receptions by a rookie receiver. He got the yards he needed on the Jaguars' first offensive drive.
One drive. Two franchise records 🤷♂️#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/ndX34rE0cX
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 15, 2024
Along the way, the Louisiana native also set a new team record for receiving touchdowns by a rookie receiver in a season. He had six — tied with Allen Hurns — ahead of the game and finished with eight by the end of the day. If that wasn't enough, he made his achievement even sweeter when he gifted his mom the football he broke the touchdown record with.
Your favorite receiver's favorite receiver.@BrianThomas_11 | #NYJvsJAX on FOX pic.twitter.com/tBy4UNbwVM
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 15, 2024
Based on how he's played, it's fair to say that the Jaguars ended up with the best receiver of the 2024 draft class. This is more impressive when you take into account that the team's brass considered the possibility of trading up for either Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers. Instead, they agreed to move down six spots and got three extra picks in the process.
Now, Thomas has 64 catches for 956 yards with eight touchdowns this season. He should have no trouble becoming the first-ever Jaguars rookie receiver to clear the 1,000-yard receiver mark and maybe even getting a Pro Bowl designation.
Brian Thomas Jr. is one of a handful of building blocks for the Jaguars in 2025
Aside from Brian Thomas, the Jacksonville Jaguars also got encouraging outings from wide receiver Parker Washington and tight end Brenton Strange. Both of them came through when the team needed them. The team will most likely continue to feed the ball to both of them and hope their strong play carries over into 2025.
For the time being, head coach Doug Pederson is thrilled with what he's seen in Strange and Thomas, pointing out that both have stepped up in light of injuries.
"I couldn't be more happy for both those guys. This is a great opportunity for Brenton. And he really rose to the occasion. And you talk about a great, humble kid that plays tough, plays physical and the type of player that we know that he is." Pederson told the local media." Of course, BT, you just see a top receiver in this league. He's a good young receiver that is going to continue to get better. As we get Trevor back, all that kind of stuff. It's a good combination to build around."
On the other hand, Thomas' heroics weren't enough to propel the Jags to a win. Mac Jones failed to come through with the game on the line, and the defense couldn't stop Davante Adams in the second half, which is frustrating because it overshadowed the rookie receiver's record-setting outing.
You have probably heard that there's no such thing as a moral victory, and that's correct. Winning is the ultimate bottom line in the NFL, but in a day in which the Jacksonville Jaguars couldn't finish the job, Brian Thomas Jr. gives them a reason for optimism in the future.