Despite limited carries, Travis Etienne Jr. transformed into a receiving threat, snagging three touchdowns against the Jets, showcasing his dual-threat dominance.
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr.k couldn't get it going on the ground on Sunday.
The New York Jets didn't do much in their 48-20 loss in Jacksonville Sunday afternoon, but one thing they did do well was limit the Jaguars' starting running back to just 32 yards on 12 carries.
Unfortunately for the Jets, Etienne isn't a one-trick pony.
One of the big reasons Jacksonville made Etienne a first-round pick in 2021 was his versatility. In his last season at Clemson, the consensus All-American and two-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year had 588 yards receiving and three times caught passes for over 100 yards in a single game.
Etienne has shown flashes of this receiving ability in the NFL, going for 476 yards in 2023. But this season, he hasn't played much of a role in the Jags' pass game, with his season-high in receiving through Jacksonville's first 13 contests just 31 yards.
But against the Jets (2-12), Etienne showed he still has it as soft hands. The fifth-year pro finished with 73 yards on three catches, all for touchdowns.
After the game, Jags coach Liam Coen broke down some of Etienne's biggest plays.
"[Using Etienne as a receiver is a] part of our offense that we've worked hard at and hasn't exactly been perfect," Coen said Sunday. "When you have a guy like TJ that can make people miss in space, that has great hands and vision out on the perimeter, [we are] just finding different ways to get him the ball.
"He ran a great route right before the half, where he kind of made it look like an option route. He just stuttered his feet, got the linebacker to stop and beat him over the top.
"To have a running back be able to do both is huge, and he just continues to ascend."
The Jaguars are ascending, too, having won their last five games by an average of more than 16 points.
The driving force behind Jacksonville's offense has been quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who threw for five touchdowns, ran for another, and didn't throw any interceptions. However, Etienne -- Lawrence's college teammate -- has been a big part of this success.
The Jaguars will need Etienne to go deep in the playoffs, which seems more realistic now than it has since 2017 -- the last time Jacksonville won 10 games and went deep in the playoffs.