Jaguars' Travis Etienne on a TD tear in what could be his final season in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Durable and dependable over four seasons, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne could be available to other teams in March.

Etienne is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing for the third time and already tied his career high with 12 total touchdowns, including three TD receptions in a 48-20 romp over the New York Jets on Sunday.

“When you’ve got a guy like him that can make people miss in space, that’s got great hands, vision out on the perimeter, just finding different ways to get him the ball,” coach Liam Coen said. “He just continues to ascend.”

Etienne has been as steady as anyone for the Jaguars (10-4), who have reached double-digit wins for just the second time in the last 18 seasons. But it might not be enough to keep him in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars drafted Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen as potential replacements at the position, making it more likely that Etienne hits the open market rather than return on a long-term deal or on a franchise tag that would guarantee him roughly $14 million in 2026.

So the 26-year-old Etienne, a first-round draft pick in 2021, could be playing his final month in Jacksonville.

His recent performances — he has nine touchdowns in his last six games — have moved him into sixth on the team’s all-time TD list with 31. He’s three shy of passing tight end Marcedes Lewis for fifth.

“I feel like I’ve been working in the shadows, at practice catching balls and doing it in practice over and over again,” Etienne said. “But coach has the confidence to go out there and call it. I feel like that’s the difference. …

“He gets the ball in the playmaker’s hands. He just has confidence in us.”

The Jaguars haven’t allowed a sack in consecutive weeks, giving Lawrence enough time to get the ball down the field. Lawrence connected on six passes longer than 30 yards in wins against the Jets and the Indianapolis Colts, including three to Brian Thomas Jr.

“We are starting to click at the right time,” Thomas said.

Third-down defense could improve. The Jets moved the chains eight times on 13 third-down plays, a 53.3% conversion rate. Jacksonville is allowing opponents to convert 41.9% of the time on the crucial down, which ranks 26th in the league.

Lawrence has accounted for 10 touchdowns — and no turnovers — in his last three games. He has nine passing and one rushing.

He became the first player in NFL history to have five or more passing TDs, at least 50 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown in the same game against the Jets. His 136.7 passer rating against the Jets was the best of his five-year career.

“It’s a weapon for me being able to move and extend plays and get out of the pocket and run or make a throw and extend the place and still get the ball downfield,” he said. “It’s easier to do the more comfortable and confident you are in the system and just trusting what you see. I think you’re seeing that more and more the last few weeks.”

Lawrence now has 23 TD passes on the season, two shy of tying his career high set in 2022.

Second-year defensive tackle Maason Smith, a second-round draft pick from LSU in 2024, has drawn the ire of coaches the last two weeks. He jumped into the neutral zone on a second-and-7 play against Indy last week and was flagged for taunting against the Jets.

It’s the kind of undisciplined effort that could lead to fewer snaps down the stretch, especially with the emergence of journeyman Matt Dickerson. The 30-year-old Dickerson made his first start in seven NFL seasons Sunday.

LT Walker Little (concussion) was inactive against the Jets, but could return this week against Denver. Three backups were injured in the game: Tuten (finger), DE Danny Striggow (ankle) and LB Jack Kiser (hamstring).

84 — The number of points Jacksonville scored in back-to-back wins against the Jets and the Colts. It’s the third most in consecutive weeks in franchise history, following 92 points in 2000 (Cleveland and Arizona) and 90 in 2015 (Tennessee and Indianapolis).

The Jaguars would clinch an AFC playoff spot with a victory at Denver (12-2) on Sunday combined with a loss by either Houston (9-5) or Indy (8-6).

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL