Jaguars RB Travis Etienne on fire vs. Saints, scores 2nd TD on TNF (Video)
• Trevor Lawrence's knee looks fine
• The Jags have a solid lead, it's only the 2nd quarter
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The Jacksonville Jaguars are pulling no punches against the New Orleans Saints, making the most of every single possession they've gotten so far. Running back Travis Etienne scored on their opening drive. He followed it up with his second touchdown of the night on their third offensive possession, giving the Jags a 14-3 lead.
Etienne had scored two touchdowns in the Jaguars' last two games. He became the first player in franchise history to have three two-touchdown games in a row. He now has seven for the season, two more than he had last year.
Meanwhile, Lawrence is 8-of-9 for 97 yards and seems fine despite the fact that he's been dealing with a knee injury. In fact, the quarterback already had a couple of long runs. First, he had a nine-yard scramble and later had one for 26 yards.
Fair warning: Don't let @swaggy_t1 find the edge!#JAXvsNO on @nflonprime pic.twitter.com/dz5At6X4LR
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 20, 2023
Not everything was sunshine and flower for the Jags though. They turned the ball over twice in the first quarter. First, wide receiver Christian Kirk fumbled on the first play of their second drive and Tevaughn Campbell muffed a punt not long after. On the bright side, the New Orleans Saints only managed to get three points off their turnovers.
On a side note, return specialist Jamal Agnew was briefly out after getting hurt during a return. He was checked for concussion but quickly returned to the field. Here's Etienne's first touchdown of the game, in case you missed it:
That's how you start a game, @swaggy_t1!#JAXvsNO on @nflonprime pic.twitter.com/BgzPczAnzK
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 20, 2023
The Jaguars offense is clicking vs. the Saints, Trevor Lawrence looks good
Maybe the Saints thought Trevor Lawrence wasn't going to play. That explains why their defense has no answer for the Jaguars' passing game. Then again, they have also struggled to contain Travis Etienne, so maybe their troubles go beyond Lawrence's availability.
The New Orleans offense isn't faring much better. As noted before, they got a couple of turnovers but only came out with three points. The Jaguars pass rush deserves credit for rattling Derek Carr, who looks overwhelmed. As of this writing, he's 6-of-14 for just 52 yards. Add a pass interference call against wide receiver Michael Thomas, and it's easy to understand why the Saints have struggled to move the ball.
It's too early in the game to predict an outcome but the Jacksonville Jaguars should feel good about their chances of winning if they keep playing like they have.
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