The NFL Research crew dug up an interesting tidbit Sunday morning.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. surpassed Maurice Jones-Drew for the most rushing yards in franchise history through three starts. Although it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, it clearly illustrates Etienne Jr’s ceiling moving forward.
With 85 rush yards already in the first half, Travis Etienne Jr. now has the most rush yards in #Jaguars history in his first 3 career starts
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) October 30, 2022
Most Rush Yds in First 3 Career Starts in JAX history:
Travis Etienne = 285 (& counting)
Maurice Jones-Drew = 270
Fred Taylor = 232 pic.twitter.com/BMSAG9zF78
Of course, this is the eighth game of Etienne Jr’s career, albeit just his third start. Counting only the rushing yards across those three contests, the former first-round pick eclipsed 285 yards. That’s better than the 270 yards that Jones-Drew put up through his first three starts, which occurred throughout three seasons.
Etienne has a tendency to break things off in big chunks. The Clemson Tigers alum ran for 85 yards in the first half against the Denver Broncos, with 49 of those coming on one jaunt. That was the third straight game in which Etienne Jr. ran for at least 48 yards on one carry.
The Jaguars staked themselves to a 10-7 half-time lead over the Broncos at Wembley Stadium. Check out FanDuel Sportsbook for a live line on the contest.