Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. was supposed to get a carry on the one-yard line with a golden opportunity at his fifth touchdown of the season. Instead, quarterback Trevor Lawrence freelanced on the play and ran it in himself, much to the bewilderment of coach Doug Pederson.
Was Etienne bothered when the chance to score was taken away from him? Nope, not at all.
“Honestly, I feel like I was happy because I feel like as I’m going through my read, I’m going ‘Damn, nothing’s there,'” Etienne told 1010XL’s Mia O’Brien on Wednesday. “I might have to just bump my head and try to get in.”
In addition to Etienne saying he didn’t see a path to the end zone, the second-year back also said he was glad Lawrence’s touchdown happened because of what it could mean in the future.
“It was a great read, it worked out, and I feel like that’s going to help us moving forward in the future because now teams can’t crash the back side end. They have to be aware of Trevor’s feet, because he can beat you with his feet, and I feel like that’s going to open up a lot of things.”
Etienne is on a bit of a cold streak with only 134 rushing yards and 3.1 yards per carry in his last four games. That’s a significant step back from the five-game stretch earlier in the season when Etienne ran for 536 yards with 6.2 yards per carry and another 93 yards as a pass catcher.
The 23rd ranked rushing defense of the Dallas Cowboys could be present an opportunity for Etienne to get his season back on track. And perhaps, the threat of Lawrence running in a touchdown of his own will also help open up a little more space for Etienne.
