The Jacksonville Jaguars are making the switch from the hunters to the hunted in 2023 with their three division rivals trying to dethrone the newly crowned AFC South champions.
While that comes with a lot of pressure, Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. says the team’s success in 2022 will only breed more success.
“I feel like it should change our team for the better,” Etienne said Friday of the team’s high expectations during an appearance on NFL Network. “The eyes are on us, so I feel like everybody is just gonna work extra hard this year just to get back there. We all got that feeling, we all got that taste of that first playoff win. You know how that feels, you want to get back there again. I feel like everybody got that taste and we’re ready for more.”
The Jaguars earned their second ever AFC South title to reach the playoffs and got a dramatic, comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card Weekend. In the Divisional Round, Jacksonville lost 27-20 to the eventually Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs.
Standing in the way of another divisional title and trip to the postseason is the tough slate of opponents that comes with a first-place finish. Still, with the rest of the AFC South largely in disarray, the Jaguars will be the clear favorite to repeat as champs.
Etienne, 24, finished his first season of NFL action (his entire rookie year was lost due to a Lisfranc injury) with 1,441 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.
