Tag: tank bigsby

Our favorite same-game parlay to bet on the Jaguars in Week 8

Will the Jaguars run wild against the Steelers’ shaky run defense?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a fifth straight win this weekend when they travel to play in Pittsburgh for the first time since a January 2018 playoff win.

Standing in their way is a 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers team that has won four games decided by a touchdown or less and was blown out in 23- and 24-point losses.

Unlike usual iterations of the Steelers, this version has struggled to run the ball (29th in yards per carry) and stop the run (27th in yards allowed per carry). While Travis Etienne Jr. enters with a run of three straight two-touchdown games, the Jaguars haven’t been stellar at bulldozing running room.

If there are several bets you like in the Jaguars’ game against the Steelers this week, a fun way to play them is by parlaying them together. BetMGM offers same-game parlays that you can build yourself, including wagers such as the over/under, spread and player props.

Below is our favorite same-game parlay for the Jaguars-Steelers game in Week 8.

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Doug Pederson: ‘We’ve got to be mindful’ of Travis Etienne’s workload

Doug Pederson says the Jaguars have to get their other running backs more involved in the offense.

A few days after Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Travis Etienne Jr hasn’t shown any signs he can’t handle his league-leading workload and the team will “continue to give the ball to our best players at all times,” head coach Doug Pederson delivered a different message Friday.

“Travis is a tough kid, we’ve seen that over the course of last year for the start of this year,” Pederson said. “We’ve got to be mindful that we’re not over working him, we’ve got to get Tank [Bigsby] and D’Ernest [Johnson] and if JaMycal [Hasty] is up, we’ve got to get those guys involved in the offense and get them some more touches.

“Right now, especially on third down, we like [Etienne] on third down, not only from a protection standpoint, but the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. We just got to keep the other guys coming. It’s not that we don’t have confidence in them, but we just feel like [Etienne] has the hot hand and we continue to keep him going. We’re definitely mindful of the wear-and-tear on his body as we go.”

Etienne, 24, has an NFL-most 151 touches (127 carries and 24 receptions) through the Jaguars’ first seven games. That’s 18 more than the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey and 19 more than Raiders’ Josh Jacobs who haven’t yet played in Week 7.

In Week 1, the Jaguars gave Bigsby seven carries and threw him the ball once. The rookie hasn’t had more than four touches in any of the Jaguars’ six games since. Johnson has only 10 touches this season and Hasty is still at zero.

Etienne has made the most of his increased workload, recording seven touchdowns in as many games, including six in the last three weeks.

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Doug Pederson: ‘We got to be able to run the ball effectively’ vs. Bills

The Jaguars can’t afford to have an inefficient ground game against the Bills on Sunday, says Doug Pederson.

The Jacksonville Jaguars struggled to find much running room last week against the Atlanta Falcons. While Trevor Lawrence broke free for a few good gains, Jaguars running back Travis Etienne managed just 2.75 yards per carry.

It didn’t matter much in the 23-7 win, but Jaguars coach Doug Pederson knows they can’t expect a similar result with an ineffective ground game against the Buffalo Bills.

“Travis is a really good running back and we trust what he does,” Pederson said Friday. “Against a team like this, you’ve got to try to at least run the football a little bit. You just can’t drop back and throw it every down, or they’re going to get you. They’re too good over there, they create sacks and that’s what they’re good at, rushing the passer.

“We got to be able to run the ball effectively and efficiently, stay on the field and stay out of third-and-longs.”

While Buffalo has been in every other facet this season, the team is dead last in rushing yards allowed per attempt (6.3). The Bills’ opponents haven’t been able to stick to the run while getting buried by the Buffalo offense, though.

Jacksonville ranks 26th in rushing yards per carry through the first four weeks. Etienne is averaging 3.8 yards after finishing the 2021 season at 5.1 yards per attempt, and rookie Tank Bigsby is even worse at 2.8 yards per carry.

It’d be a significant problem for the Jaguars if they can’t find running room against the Bills defense, though, especially after returning Cam Robinson to the starting offensive line.

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5 Jaguars players to watch vs. the Chiefs in Week 2

Here are five Jaguars players to watch in their Week 2 game against the Chiefs:

The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday to move to 1-0 on the season and take hold of the first-place spot in the AFC South. But their Week 2 opponent will almost certainly be more challenging.

The Jaguars will host the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in a rematch of last season’s divisional-round matchup between the teams.

The Chiefs lost to the Detroit Lions in the first game of the NFL season Sept. 7, but they may have tight end Travis Kelce and defensive lineman Chris Jones — likely the second and third best players on the team — available for the first time this season.

Here are five Jaguars players to watch in their Week 2 home opener versus the Chiefs:

Jaguars PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Colts

Pro Football Focus was impressed with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offensive playmakers. The offensive line? Not so much.

The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off their 2023 season with a win Sunday, beating the Indianapolis Colts, 31-21.

The 10-point Week 1 victory didn’t come easy, though. The Colts took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter and the Jaguars needed a couple touchdowns late in the game to snatch away the victory.

At Pro Football Focus, every Jaguars player was graded for their effort in the game against the Colts.

Here are the Jaguars players who stood out and struggled most on Sunday, according to PFF:

Doug Pederson, Trevor Lawrence defend Tank Bigsby for costly error

“It’s a shame it happened to a rookie because that would have been a tough play for anyone, really.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars needed a fourth quarter comeback to pick up a 31-21 win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Things may have gone a little more smoothly if it wasn’t for a couple big mistakes made by rookie running back Tank Bigsby.

It was the third-round pick’s dropped pass that resulted in Trevor Lawrence’s only interception of the day. But it was Bigsby’s baffling third quarter fumble that really turned the tides and handed the Colts the lead.

After Lawrence was hit from behind on a pass play, the ball was knocked free and bounced right into the arms of Bigsby. While many players on the field stopped, thinking the play was over, Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin ran to punch the ball out of Bigsby’s hands, freeing it to be scooped up by DeForest Buckner for an Indianapolis touchdown.

“That’s a crazy play and one to learn from,” Lawrence said after the game. “It’s a shame it happened to a rookie because that would have been a tough play for anyone, really. You recover it, and you end up getting it punched out. Yeah, you learn from it and you move on.”

Bigsby’s redemption moment came in the fourth quarter when he bulldozed through traffic for a 4-yard gain that set up a first-and-goal. He punctuated the drive with a 1-yard touchdown on the next play.

“It’s obviously a learning moment for Tank, for the offense, for the guys but for a young player to come back like he did and have those tough runs late in the game, I think is a credit to him and the ability to shake off a negative play,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said.

Bigsby finished with 13 yards on seven carries, while Travis Etienne Jr. took the lion’s share of the workload in the backfield with 18 attempts for 77 yards.

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6 studs and 4 duds in the Jaguars’ 31-21 win vs. Colts

Who shined brightest in the Jaguars’ Week 1 win?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-0.

It wasn’t the easiest road to a win Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but the Jaguars battled back in the fourth quarter to get a 31-21 victory over their divisional rival Indianapolis Colts.

There’s a long season ahead for a Jaguars team that has Super Bowl aspirations, but there are plenty of things to clean up right now.

Here’s who stood most for the Jaguars in their win, and who will need to perform better if the team hopes to keep things headed in the right direction:

Hugh Freeze: Jarquez Hunter looked ‘rusty’ in his return for Auburn

Auburn’s RB1 is back.

Auburn top running back has returned.

Star running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] started the game for the Tigers and didn’t have to wait long for his first carry of the season. He ran the ball on Auburn’s first two plays, gaining six yards.

Hunter did not play in last week’s game against UMass after taking part in Tiger Walk but took the field in street clothes during warm-ups. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Auburn have not provided a reason for his absence but he was linked to an investigation by Auburn University over the summer.

It was not the debut that Hunter or Auburn were hoping for, he finished the first half with five carries for just 12 yards.

Freeze was asked after the game about when he knew Hunter would return and said he “can’t discuss the process.”

He added that he was “Excited to have him back. Thought he looked rusty, though.”

Hunter looked a little better in the second half, ripping off a 19-yard run in the fourth quarter that was Auburn’s longest rush of the game. Disaster struck a play later when he fumbled the ball away, giving Cal the ball at Auburn’s 41 with the Tigers clinging to a 14-10 lead with just 4 minutes to play.

The defense was once again able to erase the mistake, picking off Sam Jackson V in the endzone, giving Auburn a chance to run the clock out.

Hunter finished the day with 53 yards on 11 carries and the fumble. Auburn’s running backs averaged 5.7 yards per carry but their two fumbles were critical mistakes that will have to be cleaned up.

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Fantasy Football: 10 sleeper running backs for 2023 NFL season

These ten running backs could prove to be great value in your fantasy football draft.

Football season has returned!

The 2023 NFL season will kick off tomorrow when the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

Before the regular season begins, fantasy football drafts will be wrapping up in the coming days and fantasy managers will all have the same question — who are the sleepers to target this year?

This week, we will be publishing sleepers at tight end, wide receiver, quarterback and running back for 2023. Today, we’re looking at RB.

Each player is listed in order of his average draft spot relative to his position. We consider a “sleeper” to be a player who we expect to outperform his ADP during the season.

Where to draft the top Jaguars players in fantasy football

The Jaguars are as relevant as they’ve ever been in fantasy football. Here’s where to draft Jacksonville’s top players:

Last year, the Jaguars showed flashes of what could become a top offense in the NFL. With their recent offensive success comes high expectations for many Jacksonville players in fantasy football.

With the emergence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the second year in head coach Doug Pederson’s offense, and the arrival of wide receiver Calvin Ridley, many Jaguars will be considered when fantasy football players are drafting their teams.

This is where fantasy footballers should target the top Jacksonville players in their drafts: