3 concerning trends from the Jaguars win vs. the Falcons in Week 4
• However, there are a few areas they must work on
1. The Jaguars didn't abandon the run vs. the Falcons but averaged less than 4.0 yards
The Jaguars tried to establish the run against the Texans and Chiefs without much success. In Week 4, they did a better job of running the ball but they still left a bit to be desired. Travis Etienne toted the rock 20 times for 55 yards (2.8 yard-per-carry average). Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson weren't much better.
As a team, the Jags had 105 yards on 32 carries but that number is a bit skewed. Trevor Lawrence got 42 yards on eight rushes. One of them went for 22 yards. Take it away and Jacksonville would have averaged fewer than three yards per carry against the Falcons. This shouldn't be the case when you consider how stacked the Jaguars are at running back.
Travis Etienne proved he can be a No. 1 running back last year, totaling 1,125 rushing yards. On the other hand, rookie Tank Bigsby is a fine short-yardage specialist. However, neither one is going to find much success if the offensive line can't open lanes, which has been the case most of the season.
Against the Falcons, Etienne was getting tackled before he could reach the line of scrimmage. He couldn't break off any big runs because Atlanta was already waiting for him as soon as he got the ball. While the offense revolves around Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars must find a way to kickstart their running game, or else run the risk of becoming a one-dimensional offense.
It's hard to see the Jags making a trade before the deadline but having Cam Robinson back in the fold for Week 5 should give the offensive line the boost they need in the running game.
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