Steelers Defense Must Limit Etienne’s Explosive Plays

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in an old-school AFC Central rivalry matchup among current playoff contenders. This duel will also feature a battle between two first-round tailbacks. Najee Harris and Travis Etienne will forever be linked with one another as they were both incredibly productive in college before becoming highly regarded prospects.

Despite the comparisons between one another, there’s a stark contrast between the two play styles, which is one of the more interesting storylines heading into Sunday’s bout.

Since missing his rookie season due to injury, Travis Etienne has since carved out a big role on the Jacksonville offense. While not the biggest back in the world, Etienne is one of the last true three-down workhorses still thriving in the NFL landscape. He currently leads the league with 127 carries and only San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey has logged more snaps than the Clemson product so far this season. Jacksonville asks quite a bit out of their third-year running back and so far, he’s delivered favorable results.