Week 4 Awards: 'God Rewards Those Who Run to the Football'

Welcome back to Weekly Awards!

It's a good time to be a Jaguars fan. They took care of business against the banged-up Niners and their begrudged defensive coordinator on Sunday to move into a tie for first place in the AFC South. Jacksonville has three wins through its first four games for just the second time since 2007.

Here are the award winners from Week 4.

Most Valuable Player of Week 4: Devin Lloyd

Anytime you add +56.3% in net win probability across five plays, you're gonna be named game MVP.

Lloyd, who's playing on the last year of his contract after Jacksonville declined to pick up his fifth-year option, leads the NFL with 4 forced turnovers this season.

The former first-round pick had 8 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 tackle for loss on Sunday. According to Jaguars PR, Lloyd is the only player in franchise history and the first in the NFL this season to record such numbers in a single game.

He's also the franchise's only linebacker to record a takeaway in three straight games, and its second player to record 4 takeaways in the first four games of a season (joining Rashean Mathis in 2006).

Lloyd is playing well, I'd say.

The play at the 0:58 mark exemplifies his improved feel in coverage. Lloyd is much more poised patrolling the middle of the field than in the past. That development has gone a long way in rounding out his game.

He's benefitted from a new coaching staff led by Anthony Campanile, a.k.a. Campy, who was an NFL linebackers coach from 2020-24.

"Devin's just been a ball magnet," Dennis Gardeck said Monday. "It is so cool to see him have success. Just been here a short time but seeing how hard he works and that's showing up in a big way. Campy says, ‘God rewards those that run to the football.’"

Offensive Player of Week 4: Travis Etienne

Speaking of guys who are rewriting records...

After gaining 124 yards on the ground in San Francisco, Etienne ranks third in the NFL with 394 rushing yards this season. According to Jaguars PR, that's the second-highest mark through the first four games of a season in franchise history (Leonard Fournette had 404 yards in 2019).

He's also the third player in franchise history with two 100-yard rushing games in the first four games of a season (joining Fred Taylor and James Stewart). With 3,085 rushing yards in 52 career games, Etienne is the second-fastest Jaguar to reach that mark (Taylor got there in 35 games).

After being stuck in a backfield committee during the finale of the Doug Pederson/Press Taylor era, Etienne has re-established himself as a premier NFL playmaker.

The ACC's all-time leading rusher has always been best when he has the ball in space, and Jaguars coaches are making sure he gets those opportunities.

According to Fantasy Points data, Etienne has the sixth-most carries to the D-gap (outside of offensive tackles) this season with 15. He ranks first in rushing yards (146), first in explosive run rate (26.7%), and third in missed tackles forced (6).

Here's another perimeter run from Week 4.

Etienne is dominating on outside rushes, but he's also delivering between the tackles. Sunday was the second straight game that the Jaguars leaned on him to protect a late lead. He had 12 runs for 51 yards in the second half of Week 3, and 11 for 47 in the second half of Week 4 (averaging 4.3 yards per carry in both cases).

Coen showered him with praise after his latest performance.

“He's got a really good feel for what we're trying to do in the run game. Whether it's in the zone or in the gap, I think Travis has a really good feel for what we're trying to do. He's pressing the line of scrimmage really well and able to go find creases.

"I’m very pleased with Travis right now and the way those guys are running. I think Chad Morton is the best running back coach I've ever been around.”

Shoutout to Chad Morton – and everyone on the staff – who's helped Etienne start hot during his contract season.