Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Travis Etienne Jr.: Acclimation to London played “huge part” in Jaguars win

For the first time ever, an NFL team played two games on two Sundays in London. After the game, one of the key contributors to Jacksonville’s upset win over the Bills pointed to the acclimation as a big factor in the victory.

“I felt like it really created a great edge for us,” running back Travis Etienne Jr. told PFT by phone from London, just before the Jaguars were preparing to go wheels up to America. “Just knowing how I felt [last Sunday] in the Falcons game, the first game that we had out here and having the whole week out here, just being able to get our bodies adjusted and not having to have that jet lag on us throughout the game. I feel like it played a huge part.”

Etienne played a huge part. He had 184 yards from scrimmage, the most in his career. He also added two touchdowns.

And he could feel that things were going to go well for the Jaguars before the game started.

“I kind of felt like I was going to have a good day this morning,” Etienne said. “Just getting ready for the game, just listening to some music and just hanging around the locker room I kind of felt it was going to be a good day for us and it was going to be my day, honestly.”

Was there anything specific that happened to make him believe that?

“Just a gut feeling,” he said. “Just seeing how guys move around the locker room. Nobody’s feeling tense. Everybody’s just loose, relaxed. And I felt everybody just wanted to play. Wanted to go out there and win the game.”

And win they did, completing a two-game sweep in London and beating one of the league’s elite teams.

What message does beating the Bills send to the league at large?

“We’re here to stay,” Etienne said. With this caveat: “We have to continue to be competitive and continue to come out here and show who we are and show up every Sunday.”

If the Jaguars can do that, they’ll be playing once again beyond Week 18. And playing well.