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This season for the Jacksonville Jaguars has been so similar to the one of last year. Instead of finishing strong like 2022, they have had it rough, whereas it's pretty much flipped between the two seasons. If the Jaguars lose this game on Sunday, they will finish with the same record as last year, only this year is different because the talent in the division is much better than usual.
The offense this season hasn't been great, especially during this tough stretch of games to end the year. There is virtually no run game outside of last week against the Carolina Panthers. There haven't been a lot of explosive plays or deep balls, and even Trevor Lawrence has struggled at times. The offense just hasn't looked how we expected it would. And injuries aren't an excuse, as every team has been pretty banged up this year.
But there is a narrative about Travis Etienne, the Jaguars' running back, that maybe he is the reason the running game isn't great, and that's just not true. In fact, I have proof that he is not the reason the run game is so bad.
According to Pro Football Focus, Etienne is forcing more missed tackles than any player in the league. He has forced 63 missed tackles as a rusher and 23 as a receiver, which simply means guys aren't getting to him and taking him down. If they do, it's usually not his fault but the fact that the blocking wasn't there. The Jaguars are the 10th worst rushing team in the league in terms of rush yards per game.
Nobody has forced more missed tackles this season than Travis Etienne
— PFF JAX Jaguars (@PFF_Jaguars) January 3, 2024
63 as a rusher
23 as a receiver pic.twitter.com/XC3F6Mg89Y
The Jaguars stuck with the run game against the Panthers, as we figured they would not have Trevor Lawrence out there, and it worked. They even pulled off a huge 60-yard run with Etienne.
"Yeah, that was right there at the beginning of the third," Pederson said earlier this week. "I think it was the first drive in the third quarter; he [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] had that big run for the touchdown. That was a little bit of a halftime adjustment and what we had seen from the first half from Carolina defensively. We can maybe utilize some of the perimeter runs, and Travis is really good at that.
"Again, that's just the thing: when you stick to the run game, it may not be pretty. I think we had 27 or 28 yards in the first half. It's not pretty, but things begin to open up in the second half, and you get those longer runs that really help and spark your offense. It's something that sometimes, as coaches, we get a little impatient with the run game, but it was a great example of us sticking with it yesterday."
They will really need to establish the run game on Sunday and in the playoffs if they want any shot of winning a game and advancing. Everything goes through the run game. It sets up the deep ball downfield. It sets up the plays underneath. If you run the ball, you keep the time of possession in your favor, and you keep the other team's defense on the field longer.
The reason it worked on Sunday against the Panthers is because of Etienne, and I can promise that the guy who is ninth in rushing in the league is not the reason the run game hasn't been great. Doug Pederson has already detailed how they can fix the run game; now they have to do it.
More must-reads:
- Falcons' Jessie Bates addresses the team's QB conundrum
- Dolphins owner turns down multibillion-dollar offer for control of team
- The 'Most career passing touchdowns' quiz
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