Despite loss, Jaguars rookies Brian Thomas Jr., Cam Little came through in first NFL games

The bright spots of the Jacksonville Jaguars ' soul-crushing loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday came from two rookies selected at opposite ends of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Lost in the fog of a nightmarish second half that enabled Miami to rally from a 17-7 deficit to a 20-17 victory at Hard Rock Stadium were the plays made by wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and kicker Cam Little, who combined for 11 of those first 17 first-half points.

For one game, they answered key questions:

Can Thomas be the big-play wide receiver the Jaguars have been trying to connect with quarterback Trevor Lawrence?

Can Little, who became the 10th Jaguars kicker to play in a regular-season game since the 2020 season, handle the pressure of being an NFL kicker when the games start counting, after a stellar college career at Arkansas and a solid performance in training came and the preseason?

The answers, based on one half, were yes and yes.

Brian Thomas gets an assist, then scores his first NFL TD

Thomas, the Jaguars' first-round pick and the latest in long line of wide receivers to emerge from LSU, made his first splash by drawing a pass interference penalty on former Jaguars Jalen Ramsey on a deep pass from Lawrence to the end zone with 4:43 left in the first quarter.

That gave the Jaguars the ball on the 1 and Travis Etienne punched the ball in on the next play for a 7-0 lead. Thomas also wasn't afraid to chirp at Ramsey after the play.

Thomas went on to make four receptions for 47 yards in the first half, on four targets, with three of the catches meaningful: a 6-yard reception to convert a first down, 14-yard reception for his first NFL touchdown with 6:28 left in the second quarter, and an 18-yard reception on the first play of drive that ended in Cam Little's 53-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

Thomas' TD pass came against a zone, but Ramsey still had a chance to make a play. Lawrence lofted the ball high and Thomas caught it and got both feet in-bounds like a seasoned prom leaving Ramsey and Jordan Poyer behind.

Brian Thomas didn't get a second-half target

Thomas also contributed in the running game and at one point drew raves from the CBS broadcasting team of Kevin Harlan and Trent Green for his downfield blocking.

In a turn of events that likely will be dissected by Jaguars' coaches in the film room, Thomas wasn't targeted one time in the second half, when the offense sputtered.

Still, coach Doug Pederson and Lawrence had praise for the rookie.

"The game's not too big for him," Pederson said during his postgame news conference. "It was a great TD catch and he did some other good things. He played tough and physical in the run game as well."

Thomas wasn't in much of a mood to be happy about his first NFL game, given the final score.

“We still lost but I mean, [it’s] just a confidence booster," he said. "To know that you can go out there and play against a good defense and still compete at a high level.”

Trevor Lawrence praised Thomas on key plays

Lawrence said the touchdown connection between the two was an example of the "trust" the two built during training camp.

"That's just us and trusting it," Lawrence said. "Me trusting he's going to get there and him trusting I'm going to put it in the right spot. You see me made a great play."

Lawrence also seemed to take some delight on the play that resulted in Ramsey's pass interference, with Thomas beating press coverage — and took the blame that it didn't result in a touchdown.

"I was p----d because I missed the throw, left it a little short, and he did a great job," Lawrence said. "It was press [coverage] with Jalen, so [Thomas] did a great job winning, and I underthrew it a little bit. Fortunately we got the PI, but he did a good job going and winning."

Thomas said he appreciates the fact that Lawrence wasn't afraid to go to him in at any part of the field, at least in the first half.

“Just him throwing it up there, giving me a chance to run up under it. Just show just how confidence was growing with me," he said of Lawrence.

Cam Little responded on his only field-goal attempt

Little, who was drafted in the sixth round, regularly connected on field goal attempts of 50 yards and longer during camp and made 5 of 6 during preseason games, missing only from 62 yards in which the attempt was more than long enough, but wide left.

The proof would come when the season started and Little came through with his field goal at the end of the half.

It was a clutch kick at the time: the Jaguars had their 14-0 lead halved and Lawrence took over with 57 seconds left at the Jags' 23.

Five plays later, with three seconds left in the half, Little drilled the field goal that would have been good from 60 yards.

"It was awesome," Little said. "And now I have a game under my belt with a make from 50 [yards] plus.”

The Jaguars are desperate for a kicker to latch on with the kind of longevity they had with past players such as Mike Hollis and Josh Scobee. Little is the third kicker to start for Pederson in his three years.

Cam Little's conversion streak continues

Little also converted both of his extra-point attempts, which added to his perfect record: he made all 124 of his conversion attempts for the Razorbacks.

Make that 2-for-2 as a pro, and counting.

Like Thomas, Little is appreciative for the opportunity.

"A lot of gratitude," he said of his feelings after the game. "It's a blessing to step on that field for the first real regular season game. I was telling [holder and punter] Logan [Cooke] and [long snapper] Ross [Matiscik], I was just like, ‘Man, it's just a blessing being out here.’ And obviously to put my first kick through, regardless of the distance, it was really cool. But, you know, at the end of the day, we want to end up getting the W. Good to make the kick, but not the not the result we want.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Despite loss, Jaguars rookies Brian Thomas Jr., Cam Little came through in first NFL games