The Jaguars picked up their first win of the season in Week 5 in a game filled with good vibes. The throwbacks returned (MAKE THEM PERMANENT), Tom Coughlin was inducted into the Jaguars’ Ring of Honor and most importantly: they ran that damn ball. Tank Bigsby played a huge part in that last part. Bigsby has really come on strong to begin his sophomore campaign and he’s showing some of the traits that made him an interesting back at Auburn. People like to use the phrase “the game has slowed down” for younger players in the NFL, and for the most part it looks true for Bigsby. Against the Colts he scored two big touchdowns where all of his best traits were on display, and it could lead to more of a featured role for Bigsby.
Bigsby is a MONSTER through contact, which is helpful because the Jaguars’ offensive line isn’t the greatest in run blocking: Jacksonville is averaging a paltry 1.8 Yards Before Contact on each rushing attempt. Yet, they’re second in the NFL in total Yards After Contact, and Bigsby is a massive reason why. His 5.1 Yards After Contact per attempt is third in the NFL among all BALL CARRIERS, and if you filter for guys with at least 20 attempts he’s first in the entire league. Bigsby was a tackle breaking machine at Auburn, but in his rookie season he never got to show that off. Bigsby looks much stronger this year, and you can see it when he runs the ball.
His first touchdown came on Duo, a series of double teams designed for vertical displacement. Bigsby gets a great block from Jaguars’ left guard Ezra Cleveland, and Bigsby takes off through the gap. Once he gets there, look at all the tackles broken. I’m sure almost every Colts defender touches Bigsby and ends up on his highlight reel. He’s just bouncing off of defenders, this got me fired up not just because the Jaguars scored a TD, but because this is a GROWN MAN ASS RUN. Get it up on the tape, this is real hoops courtesy of Tank Bigsby.
His second touchdown might be even more impressive than the first, and that’s saying something. The Jaguars are running a fake dive and tossing the ball to Bigsby, in hopes of catching the defense slipping. Here’s what actually happens. Tight end Josiah Deguara loses the edge against the corner to that side, forcing Bigsby back inside. Left tackle Cam Robinson does a good job of letting EDGE Laiatu Latu go upfield, but because the ball gets cut back he no longer has the leverage on the linebacker. So, to recap: Bigsby has to cut this back inside against 3 defenders, seemingly looking like the swordfight game on Wii Sports Resort.
Watch Bigsby go to work. Cuts this back inside and makes the linebacker miss. He then makes another defender miss before introducing Colts’ safety Julian Blackmon to the turf in Duval before racing away for a 65 yard touchdown. This tackle breaking rampage was what we were all waiting for when Bigsby got drafted, and now it’s here.
While most Jaguars fans will be reminded of the days of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, but I think the pairing of Bigsby and RB Travis Etienne can be used similarly to how the Lions use David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Against the Colts, I think Jacksonville’s running back usage was more than likely at its’ best. Etienne was used in space, catching more passes on the edges of the defense and making players miss in that area, while Bigsby was used more to grind out the tough yards.
I have almost no doubt in my mind that the Jaguars’ current offensive braintrust won’t be in the same spot as they are at the end of the year, but knowing whoever gets the job next will have a tackle-breaking Tank plus Etienne (who technically could become a free agent this offseason), the potential is exciting. The Jaguars’ early-down pass rate is considerably down compared to 2023 with their commitment to running the football, and this could be the perfect situation for Bigsby to succeed in. I’m not saying he’s RB1, but the usage of both guys could be interesting to watch going forward.
