The Jaguars made a clear statement that Travis Etienne is their No. 1 running back when they traded James Robinson to the Jets last week. Etienne rewarded their faith in him on Sunday.
Etienne had 24 carries for 156 yards, the best game of his young career, in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos. On a day when quarterback Trevor Lawrence struggled, Etienne was one of the few things going right for Jacksonville on offense.
A surprising first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2021, Etienne missed his entire rookie year after suffering a Lisfranc injury during the preseason. But he has shown no ill effects of it this year and began to get an increased workload even before the Jaguars traded Robinson.
For his part, Robinson is being eased into his new role with the Jets, and he had just five carries for 17 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots.