Pair of Former Tigers Look to Lead Jacksonville Jaguars to NFL Playoffs

Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, who helped Clemson to a national championship, can get the Jacksonville Jaguars to an AFC South title with a win over the Tennessee Titans.

© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Days like today are what fans and executives of the Jacksonville Jaguars imagined when the NFL franchise selected Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

They just might not have believed they'd be in this position in Year 2 with the former Clemson backfield stars. 

If the home-team Jags (8-8) can beat or tie the Tennessee Titans (7-9) in their 8:15 p.m. regular-season finale at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville will claim the AFC South title for the first time since 2017 and earn the four seed in the NFL playoffs. 

A loss doesn't knock them out, but they'll need the Patriots, Dolphins and Steelers to all lose in Week 18 to back into a wild-card spot. 

The Jaguars are a 6.5-point favorite over the Titans, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. 

If the Jaguars are able to pull it off in head coach Doug Pederson's first year with the organization, Lawrence and Etienne will receive a ton of credit. Both have had solid seasons and shown a lot of growth throughout the year. 

Lawrence has thrown for 3,901 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 66.5% of his passes in 16 games. He's also scored five rushing touchdowns and put up nearly 300 yards on the ground. 

His maturation process really took off after an Oct. 30 loss to Denver in London. Since then, Lawrence has been one of the most efficient QBs in the NFL. He's completed over 70% of his passes in five of those eight games and produced a 14-2 TD-to-INT ratio. 

Etienne is his first season because he missed all of last year with a foot injury. In 2022, he took over the starting running back role and has produced 1,108 yards and five touchdowns on the ground on 213 carries. 

Etienne has also caught 33 passes for 299 yards in 16 games (11 starts). 

The two stars led Clemson to a national championship together in 2018. Before becoming the No. 1 draft pick in 2021, Lawrence threw for over 10,000 and 90 touchdowns in three years with the Tigers. Etienne scored 78 touchdowns in his four-year career at Clemson, the most in school and ACC history.

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