Clemson Football: Trevor, Travis and the Jags have entered the chat

In what amounted to an early playoff game, former Clemson football quarterback Trevor Lawrence didn’t have his best game against the Tennessee Titans in their week 17 showdown.

Likewise former Tiger teammate Travis Etienne didn’t set the world on fire, either rushing or receiving.

But a team is made up of an offense and defense and the Jags relied on their defense and a 37-yard scoop and score by Josh Allen in a 20-16 win that handed Jacksonville the AFC South Division Championship and a spot in this week’s Wild Card round.

Lawrence’s stats weren’t bad – 20 of 32 for 212 yards and a touchdown – but he missed several open receivers, including one easy touchdown, as the Jags struggled to 212 offensive yards.

Likewise, Etienne was bottled up and held to 17 yards on the ground, but that was less unexpected with the Titans having one of the better rushing defenses in the NFL.

This week, the Los Angeles Chargers come to town and while they’ve given up the 7th fewest passing yards, the rush defense has struggled, giving up a league-worst 5.4 yards per carry on the season.

Opponents averaged just over 200 yards passing and just under 146 yards rushing against the Chargers this season, potentially boding well for Etienne.

Jacksonville enters the game as 1.5-point underdogs on their home field, with the total set at 47.5.

Former Clemson football quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jags have the coaching advantage in the NFL Wild Card game

One overlooked aspect of this game could be the coaching matchup, in which many believe Jacksonville has a sizable advantage with Doug Pederson, while the Chargers are led by Brandon Staley.

On a side note, the Chargers Mike Williams, another former Clemson star, was injured last week and reportedly has not practiced this week.

There was a report on Friday that Williams has been ruled out with a fracture in his back.

After a 3-14 season in 2021, the Jags have turned their franchise around sooner than anyone expected and Lawrence and Etienne have played key roles in making that happen.

Saturday night they go for their first playoff win since January 14, 2018, exactly five years to the day of today’s game.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change