Travis Etienne scores twice, Jaguars end 4-game skid with 26-0 shutout of woeful Panthers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A record-setting day for the Jacksonville Jaguars set up a regular-season finale that will determine their postseason fate.

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Travis Etienne scored twice, including on the longest run of his professional career, and the Jaguars ended a four-game skid with a 26-0 shutout of the woeful Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The Jaguars (9-7) won for the first time in December — and with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) watching from the sideline — to set up a finale at rival Tennessee that will help decide the AFC South.

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The Panthers (2-14) dropped to 0-9 on the road and were held scoreless for the first time since losing to Atlanta in Week 12 in 2002. Team owner David Tepper appeared to throw a drink into the crowd near the end of the game, with general manager Scott Fitterer standing nearby.

Jacksonville can clinch the division with a victory next weekend. A loss to the Titans would hand the AFC South to the winner of the Houston-Indianapolis game.

“I think our guys really thrive on these situations, and that’s OK,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said.

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Etienne was one of three Jaguars who reached career marks in what could amount to a get-right game. He became the franchise’s first player since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009 with at least 10 rushing touchdowns in a single season.

Evan Engram became the eighth tight end in NFL history to catch at least 100 passes in a regular season. Engram finished with six catches for 60 yards, giving him 104 on the year.

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He joined Tony Gonzalez (Kansas City, 2004), Dallas Clark (Indianapolis, 2009), Jason Witten (Dallas, 2012), Zach Ertz (Philadelphia, 2018), Darren Waller (Las Vegas, 2020), Mark Andrews (Baltimore, 2021) and Travis Kelce (Kansas City, 2018, 2020, 2022) on the list.

Josh Allen set the franchise record for single-season sacks with two in the first half. He finished with three in the ninth shutout in Jaguars history. With his second takedown of Bryce Young, Allen surpassed the previous mark of 14 ½ set by Calais Campbell in 2017.

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Allen, with a little help from teammate Travon Walker, offered an homage to Campbell in his celebration. Allen pretended to swing a baseball bat to mimic Campbell’s sack celebration.

“He texted me the other day: ‘Go break the record,’” Allen said. “’Records are meant to be broken. I can’t wait for somebody to break my record.’ ... For me to be in the history books, it’s huge.

“I’m a legacy type of guy. I want to leave a legacy everywhere I go. This is a huge accomplishment for myself, the team and for my family as well.”

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Allen now has 44 career sacks, 11 shy of the franchise record held by Tony Brackens (1996-2003).

Lawrence had a front-row view for all the celebrations. He missed the game with a sprained throwing shoulder, ending his consecutive starts streak at 51.

C.J. Beathard completed 17 of 24 passes for 178 yards in his first start since 2020 and played turnover-free football, a rarity for Jacksonville. The Jaguars had 10 giveaways in their losing streak.

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Etienne finished with 102 yards on the ground, with 62 of them coming on a scoring scamper early in the third quarter.

Bryce Young completed 19 of 32 passes for 112 yards, with an interception. He was sacked six times.

“Yeah, not fun. Not fun at all,” Young said. “It’s on us. It’s what we put out. It’s our tape. It’s what we did. We own it, accept it. It is what it is, but it’s not fun.”

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CARTED OFF

Panthers linebacker Marquis Haynes, a sixth-year pro who grew up in Jacksonville, was carted off the field in the third quarter with a concussion. He was taken to a hospital for further testing and was not going to fly home with the team.

Haynes flashed a thumbs-up sign to the crowd as he left the stadium.

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KICKER-LESS PANTHERS

Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro injured his right hamstring in pregame warmups and did not play.

Starting linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill handled kickoff duties for Carolina, although interim coach Chris Tabor didn’t ask Grugier-Hill to attempt a 39-yard field goal on the team’s opening drive. Instead, Tabor kept his offense on the field for a fourth-and-7 play in which Young was sacked.

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KEY INJURIES

Panthers: C Cade Mays (finger) was ruled out in the second half. ... Pass rusher Brian Burns (knee) and LB Frankie Luvu (bloody nose) returned after missing plays early. ... CB Donte Jackson was evaluated for a concussion and cleared in the first half.

Jaguars: WR Jamal Agnew injured his left ankle at the end of a 48-yard catch in the second quarter and was ruled out after halftime.

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UP NEXT

Panthers: End the season next weekend at home against Tampa Bay.

Jaguars: Play at Tennessee next weekend in a game with postseason implications.

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