Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (1) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

How 1 Elite Peformance in Week 8 Inspired Jaguars' Travis Etienne

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 1:00 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne used the bye week to better his game in a number of ways.

A fifth-year veteran, Etienne has plenty of experience in using the bye week as a benefit for the rest of his season. This time around, though, that experience featured inspiration in the form of one of the NFL's top performances.

Etienne's Inspiration

During the Jaguars' off week, Etienne made the travel up north to watch his brother Trevor Etienne play against the Buffalo Bills. And while the younger Etienne was on the wrong side of a lopsided blowout loss, the elder Etienne still saw something during the contest that can help fuel him: the performance of Bills' running back James Cook.

Cook had one of the best individual performances of any player in the 2025 season with Etienne in attendance, rushing 19 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns in the 40-9 win.

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"I actually went to my brother's game. It wasn't a great game for them, but, you know, I got to see James Cook go over 200 so just seeing that, I feel like it inspired me to go out there." Etienne said in the locker room on Monday.

"And s***, let me -- if he could do it, why can't I? You know, just being challenged by other people in the league, and just watching how they run, just being inspired by others. I feel like that's the only way I could do it, is to have that growth mindset to get better and just work to be better every day.

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The bye week came at the right time for Etienne and the Jaguars, and Etienne now has his eyes set on his next goal: chasing Cook. Luckily for Etienne, his latest bye week could be just the platform he needed to make it happen.

"It just gives you a chance to refocus. I feel like it gives you a chance to just sit back, reflect and just realize you have to fall in love with the mundane. Feel like we've been doing it for a very long time, since voluntary OTAs; just going at it, going at it," Etienne said.

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"So it's getting up every day guys, kind of just, you can kind of get lost and just kind of just start looking down on yourself or just not attacking like you should. And I feel like having that bye week gives you a chance to reset. I know when I'm out there watching Sunday football, just watching guys do what they love to do, understand that this is a game we signed up to play this and just not playing. I feel like that kind of just makes me just wish I was out there playing. So why would I take Sundays for granted when that's all I'm guaranteed."

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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