Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. carried the ball 28 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns against the Las Vegas Raiders.
That’s three more carries than James Robinson ever had in a game during his Jaguars tenure and the most for any Jacksonville player since Leonard Fournette had 29 in a pair of 2019 games.
It’s not exactly the role most expected Etienne to fill when the 2022 season began, but it’s the kind of workload he says he’s always wanted.
“I feel great, honestly, I feel like this is what I’ve wanted my whole career,” Etienne told reporters after the game. “In high school, I didn’t get those carries because in high school it’s easy just to take that one-play touchdown. In college, I never got those carries because it was easy to get that touchdown right then and there.
“Now everyone’s a high class athlete, so now you get to see me play four quarter games. I feel like I get better as the game goes because the defense gets tired.”
Etienne had 24 carries for 156 yards during the Jaguars’ Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos and has now recorded at least 100 yards from scrimmage in five straight games. Whether or not Etienne has the build to endure a season’s worth of hits with that kind of workload remains to be seen, but Etienne says he’s confident he’ll be alright.
“I feel really great and it’s different from college because I don’t have school anymore, so I don’t have anything to focus on but my body. I just spend a lot of time rehabbing, prehabbing, getting right for the game. Just making sure I’m ready to come out here and do my job for the team.”
Etienne is now fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 680 through nine games.