Why the Jaguars Need Rising Star RB to Return

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in need of some good news, and one piece of good news ahead of Week 13 could be the return of Tank Bigsby.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) rushes for yards against Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Packers edged the Jaguars 30-27 on a last-second field goal. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars need landing a victory, sitting at 2-9 on the season so far. One contributor who was sidelined due to injury earlier this month was running back Tank Bigsby. The former third-round draft pick was putting up good numbers before the injury.

Bigsby, now in his second year with the Jaguars, was a key to their offensive numbers in those close games played earlier this season. Currently listed as questionable for Week 13, the Jaguars would love to see Bigsby return to the field ahead of the end of the season.

Before being sidelined, Bigsby had 95 carries go for 519 rushing yards. Bigsby was averaging 5.5 yards per carry and was a common piece of the running game for Trevor Lawrence to hand the ball off to.

Bigsby still leads the team in total rushing yards since he has been out, but the Jaguars have seen strong production from Travis Etienne Jr in the games Bigsby was hurt. Etienne has averaged 4.0 yards per carry.

Bigsby has played in nine games for the Jaguars this season and was a major part of the last victory the Jaguars got against the New England Patriots. Bigsby had 26 carries go for 118 rushing yards in the victory over the Patriots, but since then, the production declined.

Perhaps due to injury, Bigsby saw fewer carries and less successful yard gains in the three games before going on the injured list. His last game played was against the Minnesota Vikings, and he only had two carries go for four yards before pulling pulled.

The Jaguars have missed Bigsby on the field. The Jaguars only average 101.6 rushing yards per game on the season, ranking them 25th overall compared to the rest of the league. Bigsby himself was averaging 57.6 rushing yards per game, more than half of what the Jaguars average as a team.

Bigsby ranks 30th out of all running backs on yards rushing per ESPN. While the ranking is not high, the production has been missed. The Jaguar's rushing total from the Lions game without Bigsby was 41 yards, 27 coming from Etienne.

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