Jaguars' Doug Pederson: Travis Etienne Had His 'Best Game of the Year' vs. Bills
Jaguars’ running back Travis Etienne had a relatively slow start to the season, failing to reach the 100-yard mark through the team’s first four games. Against the Buffalo Bills however, that all changed as Etienne exploded for 184 total yards and two touchdowns.
Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson said on Monday, “I thought Etienne had an outstanding, probably his best game of the year.”
The Jaguars’ offense has struggled to get going this year. Trevor Lawrence is playing remarkably well, however, drops and offensive line issues have plagued the team. Against the BIlls, the Jaguars offense got off to a fast start, getting out to an 11-0 lead early. The team seemed to stall out for a while, allowing the Josh Allen led Bills to creep back into the game.
It wasn’t as if the Jaguars weren’t moving the ball, they certainly were. It was two costly fumbles deep in Bills territory that shattered Jacksonville’s scoring aspirations. Following Trevor Lawrence’s second fumble, the Jaguars defense needed a big play as Buffalo looked to capitalize off of the turnover and take the lead.
The Jaguars’ defense would create a turnover of their own. Darious Williams snatched a slightly underthrown deep ball from the clutches of All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs. From then on, it was the Etienne show.
The Jaguars looked to Etienne often. Etienne had rushes of 17 yards, 11 yards, and a 6-yard touchdown run, while catching a key 3rd-down pass to keep the chains moving. When it was time for Jacksonville to get the ball back up 18-13, they looked to Etienne again. That next drive, Etienne had four rushes for 43 yards and a touchdown, including a 35-yard touchdown scamper that sealed the game.
Monday, Pederson spoke of Etienne’s play, “He’s so impactful. In those third down spots, just to be able to run the football and pick up a first down. That’s sometimes for a defense, that changes the way maybe you call up the next time on third downs. Those are things that we’ve got to continue to improve, but Travis is definitely someone that we can lean on in the run game and the pass game to help us overcome some of those third downs.”
Third down has been a problem for Jacksonville. One of the most successful teams on 1st-down, the team has struggled mightily on key downs. That all changed Sunday, in part due to Etienne’s ability as a runner and as a pass catcher. Against the Bills, the Jaguars converted 10 of their 18 opportunities, a marked improvement.
Etienne remains one of the league’s best runners and most dynamic players. He currently leads the league in missed tackles forced with 27 and is second to only Christian McCaffrey in yards after contact. He’s as good as they come and the Jaguars should keep leaning on their star tailback going forward.
