Jaguars cannot get elusive win vs. Giants, takeaways from Week 7
![Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) at TIAA Bank Field. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fblackandteal-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2017-2F07-2F19288959-850x560-23c5e38f38c90fbb11632c88010e0097596f2f17b83495a130cafce4e6353b10.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) at TIAA Bank Field. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
3. What do the Jaguars plan to do with RB James Robinson?
Second-year running back Travis Etienne has become a key cog on the Jaguars’ offense, and had he not fumbled the ball near the Giants’ goal line, analysts would probably be talking about how the Jags overcame mistakes to win in Week 7. Instead, the conversation is centered around how Jacksonville can’t seem to get out of its own way.
One underlooked aspect of Etienne’s recent offensive success is the number of carries fellow running back James Robinson has gotten in recent weeks. Against New York, the former Illinois State Redbird only got one target and no carries. Rightfully, he seemed frustrated after the play, but why has his workload suddenly decreased in recent weeks?
Talent or lack thereof doesn’t seem to be the reason. Although he spent the offseason recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered last December, he’s shown he’s fully healthy and has broken off several big runs. Could he be hurt? Maybe, and Pederson sort of touched on the running back’s limited playing time after the game but he was vague about it.
“We gotta evaluate him and see where he’s at physically, health-wise, and all of that”, Pederson told the media. “He’s been good each week, it’s something we’ve got to really take a look and see. TJ [Etienne] has done a nice job, kind of taken over there but we need everybody, we need James and we got a lot of confidence in James. It’s not anything about lack of confidence or anything, and we just got to make sure, he’s 100 percent”.
The truth is that Pederson’s explanation didn’t make things any clearer, which makes it fair to wonder why Robinson hasn’t gotten many carries in recent weeks. Could he be on the trade block? That’s a theory that has floated on social media but there’s nothing concrete to back it up and it’s nothing more than conjecture at this moment.
Pederson did say that he might share more information regarding Robinson’s role Monday, so his exchange with the media will be worth watching.