The Jacksonville Jaguars have built their team around Trevor Lawrence, so it’s no surprise that he’s in the spotlight. However, Travis Etienne is just as important to their offensive success, and that’s why the Jags aren’t giving up on him, even after struggling in the season opener.

Towards the end of the third quarter, Etienne lost the ball in the Miami Dolphins’ end zone. At that point, Jacksonville was leading 17-7, but the Phins immediately took advantage of the loss and scored a point to make it 17-14.

Etienne’s fumble was ultimately the turning point of the game, which Miami won 20-17. But despite the mistake, the coaching staff continued to feed the former Clemson Tiger and will continue to do so in the future.

With fellow running back Tank Bigsby behind him, Etienne will be motivated to rebound and shine against the Cleveland Browns. With that in mind, here are five bold predictions for Week 2.

Tank Bigsby had a productive outing against the Miami Dolphins, carrying the ball 12 times for 73 yards and averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Etienne, on the other hand, had a yards per carry average of 3.8, but he will remain the most important running back in the team’s rotation.

Keep in mind that Etienne didn’t have a single fumble in 2023, so the fumble he recorded in Week 1 was likely more of an outlier than a sign of things to come. To put that behind him, the Louisiana native will make the most of his touches and go over 100 yards with two touchdowns.

With Tyson Campbell landing on the injured list, Montaric Brown will start alongside Ronald Darby in Week 2. In addition, Jarrian Jones will fill the spot since Darnell Savage is out for the game. Doug Pederson said this before the game on the Frank Frangie Show.

Brown and Jones played in the opening game and both received praise from the coaching staff. The latter shone in the preseason and will get a chance to make his impact in games that count for the standings. Cleveland will look to test him early in the game, but the rookie corner will be up to the task and record his first NFL interception.

The Jaguars will have a tough time slowing down Myles Garrett, but they’ll get there. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor told the media he knows what a playmaker the 2017 first-round pick is and will do everything in his power to contain him. The fact that left tackle Cam Robinson is back to full fitness after being limited in practice on Thursday should aid their efforts.

Robinson and bookend offensive tackle Anton Harrison allowed sacks in back-to-back games in the season opener. Left guard Ezra Cleveland allowed another. The trio will rebound and the Jaguars will not allow a single sack in Week 2.

While the Jaguars won’t allow a single sack, they will bring down Deshaun Watson five times in Week 2. Aside from the fact that Watson is no longer the up-and-coming quarterback he was earlier in his career, he won’t be optimally protected.

Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has already been ruled out for the contest, while right tackle Jack Conklin is listed as questionable. Even if the latter competes, he won’t be at full strength, which doesn’t bode well for Watson. As if that wasn’t enough, offensive guard Joel Bitonio struggled in Week 1 and was listed as questionable for Week 2.

The Jaguars pass rush will have a prime opportunity to overwhelm Cleveland’s offensive line, and they won’t let it pass them by. They’re expected to finish with five sacks.

Watson has had the benefit of the doubt so far, having been a top-five quarterback in his first four NFL seasons. However, it’s been more than three years since he’s been consistently good, so it’s time for his defenders to stop making excuses and accept that he’s no longer good.

Against the Dallas Cowboys, Watson completed less than 60 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions, despite the fact that tight end David Njoku was also in the game. He will not play against Jacksonville. Watson will put in a similar performance against a Jaguars defense that showed a lot of potential in the opening game. Aside from barely managing 150 passing yards, he will be intercepted twice in Week 2.

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