3 keys for the Jaguars to beating the Chargers in the 2022 NFL Playoffs

2. The Jaguars must get their running game going in the Wild Card Round

The Jags got hot and went 6-1 to finish the season but they weren’t without flaws. While they had a few convincing wins, they also showed a few areas that could use some work against the Chargers. One of the biggest ones is their running game or lack thereof.

Back in Week 3, running back James Robinson was still on the roster and went off against the Bolts, racking up 100 yards on 17 carries. Robinson is a member of the New York Jets but the Jaguars have a pretty good running back in Travis Etienne.

Etienne logged 1,125 rushing yards in 2022 despite the fact that he started the year behind Robinson on the depth chart. However, there were many games, especially in the second half of the season, in which the Jags struggled to get the running game rolling.

From Weeks 10 to 17, Etienne only had two 100-yard games. Conversely, he had 86 rushes for 536 yards with four touchdowns and averaged 6.23 yards per carry from Weeks 5 to 10. Sure, the Jags have found ways to win even when they couldn’t establish the run but getting Etienne involved against the Charges would keep their defense honest and open things up for Trevor Lawrence and the passing game.

In fact, Etienne can take significant pressure off Lawrence’s shoulders if he can break off a few big runs the way he did against the Houston Texans in Week 17, when he had nine carries for 108 yards in the first half alone.