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Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Etienne feels back, ready to make 'splash plays' after injury
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- Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Etienne feels back, ready to make 'splash plays' after injury
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne is still making his way back to full health and has not been on the injury report thus far this week, the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears .
Etienne missed two games due to the injury, against the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers in back-to-back weeks, but has played the last two weeks against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings .
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In his two games back, Etienne has totaled 68 rushing yards on 14 carries (4.86 yards per carry) and three catches for five yards. On the season, Etienne has totaled 298 rushing yards on 70 carries (4.26 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He's caught 19 passes for 96 yards.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) takes to the field before an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
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After taking a couple of weeks away to get healthy and ramping up his workload the last two weeks, Etienne said Thursday that he finally feels like he's getting back to his old self.
"I feel much better. I feel like I'm finally getting back to myself, just making splash plays here and there and just being able to finish down the field in practice, not having that tugging no more in my hamstring," Etienne said.
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"I feel I'm getting back to myself. I feel like just having the energy, having that motor, just hopefully that passes off to all my teammates and I, we all go out there with a mindset to win."
Etienne has been Jacksonville's bell-cow back the last two years. In 2022, Etienne's best season, he rushed for 1,125 yards on 220 carries (5.1 yards per carry) and five rushing touchdowns. He caught 35 passes for 316 yards.
Etienne has rushed for 2,431 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in his career. He's caught 112 passes (58 in 2023) for 888 yards and one receiving TD.
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Jaguars want to get Travis Etienne involved, need to get better on early downs
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) is tackled by Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright (91), back along with cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
The Jaguars will look to lean on the run game this week and Etienne will be a major part of that with backup RB Tank Bigsby ailing from an ankle injury.
The team has to get ahead of the sticks on first down, though, to do that.
"We want to be obviously more efficient than we've been so we can stay. I mean, not everybody's excited to run the ball in second-and-10, second-and-11, things like that. So having that first-down success to start drives particularly gives you the ability to lean into the run game a little bit more," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Thursday.
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"You go back to the New England game, we had so many runs. It's because first down run for five, your second for five, you're in control of the game in situations."
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Jacksonville has struggled to sustain drives. That was exacerbated last week when the Jaguars punted five times and turned the ball over three times in a row to end the game. Jacksonville had the ball for just 17:41 compared to Minnesota's 42:19.
If the tides turn, Jacksonville will be able to utilize Etienne how they want, not beholden to what the defense gives them.
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"So, you're able to lean into that a little more. But Travis is just another one like Brian, he's another one of our playmakers. So, we want to give our playmakers as many opportunities in the right situation to be able to make plays," said Taylor. "It's not just hammering the ball into heavy boxes and doing certain things like that but giving him opportunities in situations that we think he thrives in already."
The Jaguars take on the Lions on Sunday on the road at 1 p.m . After that, they'll have a bye week before moving forward with the remainder of the season.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Etienne ready to bounce back from injury
