The Jacksonville Jaguars finally got a December win, breezing through the Carolina Panthers in a 19-0 blowout in Week 17.
With Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones all out of action, the Jaguars still did more than enough to put the disastrous Carolina offense out of reach. C.J. Beathard didn’t finish with any touchdown passes, but avoided turnovers and led the Jaguars into range for four Brandon McManus field goals.
Running back Travis Etienne Jr. scored the only two touchdowns of the day when he broke free for a 62-yard score and bulldozed his way to a 1-yard touchdown late.
The Jaguars defense were the heroes of the day, though. After the Panthers managed 44 yards on their opening drive before turning the ball over on downs, Jacksonville forced a three-and-out on six consecutive Carolina drives. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Panthers finally got back across the 50-yard line.
Here’s how the Jaguars’ dominant Week 17 win at EverBank Stadium went down:
Jaguars MVP of the game: OLB Josh Allen
The record-breaker!@JoshAllen41_ | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/Xx4lAdC2Le
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 31, 2023
Etienne was a star, but on a day where the Jaguars defense led the way, no player was more impactful than Allen, who finished with three sacks. The fifth-year outside linebacker entered the day just one sack away the franchise single-season record and claimed it for himself by halftime. A fourth quarter sack put Allen at 16.5 on the year.
Panthers MVP of the game: LB Deion Jones
Never had a chance on that one.
Deion Jones was on it 💯 pic.twitter.com/MmwYzoLtxt
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 31, 2023
Standouts for the Panthers were few and far between Sunday. The Carolina offense scored zero points and the defense didn’t do much to get the Jaguars off the field. We’ll give Jones the nod because of his drive-killing sack before halftime and seven total tackles.
Jaguars play of the game: Travis Etienne's 62-yard touchdown
.@swaggy_t1 picked a hell of a way to break 2,000 career rushing yards.#CARvsJAX on CBS pic.twitter.com/VopMGS02Ii
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 31, 2023
Back on Jan. 1, 2023, Etienne rang in the new year with a 62-yard touchdown run against the Texans. On Sunday, he wrapped up 2023 with another 62-yard touchdown.
The big play couldn’t come at a better time for Etienne, who entered Week 17 after being held under 60 rushing yards in seven straight games. He finished the Week 17 win with 102 rushing yards.
It was over when ... D.J. Chark dropped three straight passes
The Jaguars just kept chipping away at the Panthers, putting points on the board on five of their first seven drives. Carolina couldn’t keep pace with three-and-out after three-and-out. It wasn’t until late in third quarter and into the fourth quarter that the Panthers finally put together a solid drive.
That chance also ended without points, though. Bryce Young hurled deep to Chark three times in four plays, but the ball ended up on the ground all three times. It effectively ended any possibility of the Panthers stringing together three straight touchdowns to erase the 19-point deficit.
Stat that says it all: 6 consecutive three-and-out drives for Carolina
Outside of one big play for Etienne, the Jaguars offense wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard. It moved the ball efficiently and avoided mistakes, but the Jaguars defense dominated the day.
Six consecutive Panthers drives ended with a three-and-out and two more were turnovers on downs. The cherry on top was an Antonio Johnson interception in the final minutes that allowed the Jaguars to milk the rest of the clock.
What's next?
The Jaguars will wrap up their regular season slate with a road game against the Tennessee Titans. Earlier in the year, the Jaguars got a 34-14 win against the Titans in a Week 11 game at EverBank Stadium. Kickoff time for the Week 18 rematch hasn’t yet been announced by the NFL.
