3 positive stats from the Jaguars heartbreaking loss to the Colts

1. The Jaguars RBs totaled 243 rushing yards vs. the Colts

One of the biggest criticisms surrounding head coach Doug Pederson’s tenure in Jacksonville is his decision not to run the ball as much as he should despite the fact that he’s got a couple of talented players in James Robinson and Travis Etienne.

One look at Jaguars Twitter or FB will show you the consensus thinks coach Pederson should run the ball more and lean on Trevor Lawrence less. It’s highly unlikely that he checks social media — unless he has a burner account on Reddit — to see what he should or shouldn’t do on game day but he decided to throw a curveball against the Colts and ran the ball 33 times.

Then again, this isn’t surprising when you take a look at their first matchup of the season. In that game, Jacksonville ran the ball 37 times, five more than in Week 6. Maybe the coaching staff noticed on film session that the Colts have a hard stopping the run but regardless of the reason, the Jags tallied 243 yards against their division foes in Week 6.

Pederson met with the local media and said Etienne has been as good as the coaching staff expected, which has led to an increased role on offense. Similarly, the head coach praised JaMycal Hasty, who had a 61-yard touchdown run against Indy.

While it’s not sustainable to run the football 30 times per game and have Trevor Lawrence attempt less than 25 passes every week, the Jaguars should feel good about their dynamic backfield, which has proven to be a strength this season.