Jaguars Star Gives Harsh Truth About Team

The Jacksonville Jaguars are winless through two week of the 2024 NFL season. Running back Travis Etienne has something to say about that.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) rushes for yards during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-2 to start 2024 and running back Travis Etienne Jr. is not happy about it. When he stood at his locker to answer questions after the game, that much was obvious.

The Jaguars had just been embarassed in their 18-13 loss. It wasn't a blowout. It came down to the final drive. But the sloppiness, the lack of execution, the sheer inability to make plays -- enough to gnaw at the player as much as any fan or observer.

When a team is as talented as this Jaguars squad, too, it can be exacerbated. A franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson. Talent just about everywhere on the field. Just an 0-2 record to show for it.

But Etienne himself understands a harsh truth about the game of football. Talent alone won't get the job done.

"Talent doesn't win games in this league," Etienne said. "You can be talented however you want, it's all about execution and you don't have to be talented to execute. That's what we have to focus on. Just the execution and just like I said matriculating the ball down the field. Let's not try and get that 30-yard play every damn time. Let's just that five yards, three yards, keep moving the chains. Just keep moving the chains. Kinda wear the defense down, like I wanna say the first quarter we probably had nine plays. You see the Browns, they just matriculate the ball downfield kept the offense off the field. Got our defense a little tired, you know, and I feel like that's how we gotta play. We gotta find a way to stay on the field for our defense, to help them out.

"Because this year we have a great a-- defense and I kind of hurt for them because I feel like as an offense we gotta find ways to help them. It's a team sport, you know, and it takes all of us. ... The hell with talent. We got to work more and execute."

Etienne had a solid performance, bouncing back from his rough outing in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Etienne had 52 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.

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