Tag: Travis Etienne Jr

Calvin Ridley says Trevor Lawrence audibled to clutch 32-yard pass

The massive third down conversion for Calvin Ridley late in the fourth quarter was a call made by Trevor Lawrence.

One of the biggest throws made by Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the team’s 25-20 win against the Buffalo Bills apparently wasn’t supposed to be a pass at all.

According to Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley, the team was set to run the ball on a third-and-4 late in the fourth quarter. But when Lawrence saw Ridley lined up one-on-one against Bills safety Micah Hyde, he changed the call at the line and lofted a ball down the right sideline for a 32-yard gain.

“They went [cover] zero, they put a safety on me,” Ridley told reporters after the game. “Honestly, I think we were running it, I think. But Trevor checked it, he seen the safety on me, he gave me a good check, and we made a big play.”

The massive third down conversion came shortly after the Bills cut the Jaguars’ lead from 11 points to five. If Jacksonville was forced to punt, Buffalo was going to have a few minutes to drive the field for a potential go-ahead touchdown.

Instead, the Jaguars moved the sticks and extended their lead two plays later with a 35-yard rushing touchdown for Travis Etienne Jr.

Ridley finished the game with seven receptions for a game-leading 122 yards.

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Jaguars outlast Bills in roller coaster 25-20 win in London

The Jaguars are 3-2 after picking up a 25-20 win against the Bills in London. Here’s how it all went down in a wild game:

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-2 after outlasting the Buffalo Bills for a much-needed 25-20 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Buffalo entered the game as hot as any team in the NFL after three straight blowout wins by at least 28 points. But a Bills offense that was averaging 34.8 points per game couldn’t get going until late in the game against the Jaguars.

The Jaguars offense similarly took time to get going, but orchestrated two lengthy, clutch touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to hold off a suddenly potent Bills offense.

Here’s how it all went down in the Jaguars’ wild five-point win:

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 keys to a Jaguars win vs. Bills in Week 5

What do the Jaguars need to accomplish Sunday to pull off the upset against the Bills in London?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a chance to get back above .500 on Sunday in London. But standing in their way is one of the toughest opponents they’ll face all season.

After losing in overtime in Week 1, the Buffalo Bills are 3-1 following three straight blowout wins by a combined 90 points. The Bills are averaging 34.8 points (second most in the NFL) and allowing an average of 13.8 points (second fewest).

Meanwhile, the Jaguars have struggled to live up to their lofty preseason expectations. An offense that was expected to be one of the NFL’s most potent and explosive groups is 21st in scoring.

To pull off the upset at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, the Jaguars will need a more complete performance. Here are five things Jacksonville needs to do in London to get the win:

5 Jaguars players to watch vs. the Bills in Week 5

Here are five Jaguars players to watch as they try to beat the Bills in their second straight London game:

Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars won their first of back-to-back London games. This week, although marked as an away game, Jacksonville remains in London to take on a much more formidable opponent: the Buffalo Bills.

The Jaguars bounced back in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons. The defense allowed a season-low seven points, and the offense scored its most points since Week 1.

But their game against the Bills is sure to be more of a challenge.

Here are five Jaguars to watch in their Week 5 matchup against the Bills:

Travis Etienne: ‘We don’t look good right now. We have to own that.’

Travis Etienne Jr. says Jaguars players need to take a hard look in the mirror if they hope to turn things around.

Travis Etienne Jr. was easily the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top performer Sunday against the Houston Texans, finishing with 88 rushing and 50 receiving yards. But after a 37-17 blowout loss, the running back wasn’t in the mood to celebrate his day.

“How I look at it, I have to find a way to help the team get better and continue to make plays for my team so to be in a better position to win the game,” Etienne said in the locker room after the loss. “I fault myself. We fault ourselves.”

After a week of players and coaches harping on the poor execution that doomed the Jaguars in Week 2, the offense continued to trip over its own feet — sometimes literally — against the Texans. To solve the prevailing issue, Etienne says Jaguars players have to do some soul searching.

“We have to find ways to get better,” Etienne said. “We don’t look really good right now. We have to own that. We just have to own that right now, watch the film and put it to bed.

“I feel like every man in this room needs to look at himself in the mirror and watch that film and just be critical. Be their biggest critic. We just have to find ways to get better. We just have to find ways to play harder.”

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who finished with one touchdown and one interception in the loss, preached a similar message.

“I expect the coaches to hold me accountable and they will,” Lawrence said in a postgame press conference. “And I’m going to hold the wide-outs, tight ends, the running backs, the o-line accountable, as well, for stuff that, you know, they’re not doing the best in their job. No one can get their feelings hurt. We don’t have guys that do, but we all have to have that accountability.”

The Jaguars offense turned the ball over twice, dropped a few passes, and picked up six penalties during another performance defined by miscues.

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Studs and duds in the Jaguars’ 37-17 loss vs. Texans

Silver linings are few and far between for the Jaguars after an embarrassing loss to the Texans.

The Jacksonville Jaguars spent a week preaching that their execution needed to be cleaned up and improved after a frustrating loss in Week 2. Somehow it was much worse in Week 3.

In a 37-17 loss to the Houston Texans, the Jaguars were bad in all three phases.

The offense was held scoreless in the first half, the defense had multiple coverage busts, and a pair of special teams plays changed the entire trajectory of the game.

Here are some studs and duds from the Jaguars’ Week 3 home loss to the Texans:

Jaguars a mess in every facet of 37-17 loss to Texans in Week 3

Just about everything that could go wrong did for the Jaguars in a 37-17 loss to the Texans.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-2 after a calamitous 37-17 loss at home to the previously winless Houston Texans in Week 3.

It was a loss for the Jaguars that was riddled with errors committed by every unit. The offense turned the ball over twice and struggled with drops, the defense blew coverages in key moments, and the special teams were on the wrong side of two game-changing moments.

What should’ve been a bounce-back game for the Jaguars against a lesser team has instead left the team in need of some soul searching.

Here’s how it all went down in the Jaguars’

Doug Pederson encouraged by Jaguars defense through first 2 games

The Jaguars offense is still trying to sort things out, but Doug Pederson is encouraged by the defense’s performances so far this season.

Going into the 2023 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars offense was what held the national spotlight. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Travis Etienne Jr. were set to lead one of the most electric offenses in the league.

But the Jaguars’ defense has been the difference maker through the first two weeks.

“They’re playing physical — that’s something that is the pride for the defense right now,” Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said Monday. “Two weeks in a row, they’ve kept the offense in the game. They did it in Indy until the offense caught wind at the end of the game and then all day [Sunday], they did the same.”

The Jaguars held the Indianapolis Colts to 21 points and the Kansas City Chiefs to 17. The 38 total points allowed through the first two games of the season — 19 points per game — are the 10th lowest total in the NFL.

Outside linebacker Josh Allen racked up three sacks in the season-opener against the dynamic Anthony Richardson. Safety Andre Cisco picked off Patrick Mahomes and racked up 10 total tackles against the Colts. And linebacker Foye Oluokun and safety Rayshawn Jenkins have shown an ability to make plays on ball carriers in the open field.

Pederson singled out Allen, Cisco, Jenkins and outside linebacker Travon Walker for their individual efforts. But it’s the combination of their play that’s paying dividends.

“That’s just a credit to the scheme, what [defensive coordinator] Mike [Caldwell] is doing, utilizing the personnel this year,” Pederson said. “You’re seeing Travon and Josh up their game a little bit on the edge. The secondary is more in-sync this year; just the communication has been better. They’re playing faster, they’re stymying the run and shutting that down.”

Defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi also credited Caldwell for helping the team improve in his second season as the team’s defensive coordinator.

“He’s continuing to do what he needs to do,” Fatukasi said. “He’s giving us every opportunity for us to continue to be in the right positions.”

Fatukasi said the defense had its share of good and bad moments against the Chiefs but said the team is focused on working out the kinks.

“It’s just really more about the defenses gelling even more together, talking more, getting our eyes and hands right, being more technically sound,” he said. “If we get those things together, it turns out a little smoother.”

Jacksonville forced three turnovers and allowed only 17 points, but still lost Sunday. Pederson stressed following the gameplan and putting the offensive players in the best position Monday following the loss.

“The defense kept us in this football game,” Pederson said. “We’ve got to do better. We’ve got to execute. We got too many guys on offense, veteran players that we all need to do better, starting with me.”

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5 Chiefs players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 2

Here are five Chiefs players who could give the Jaguars trouble in Jacksonville’s Week 2 home opener:

The Kansas City Chiefs opened the season with a close one-point loss to the Detroit Lions in the first game of the year. The Jacksonville Jaguars, however, go into the game with a 1-0 record after defeating the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

The Chiefs haven’t lost back-to-back games since Weeks 2 and 3 of 2021, but the Jaguars have the opportunity to end their streak.

Here are five Chiefs players who could give the Jaguars trouble in their Week 2 matchup: