Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. will play Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, coach Doug Pederson told reporters Saturday.
Etienne, 24, went to the locker room with a ribs injury during the Jaguars’ Week 12 win. While he was ruled questionable to return by the team, Etienne was back on the field before halftime and finished the game with 86 yards from scrimmage.
While Pederson said Etienne will play through the injury that has limited him in practice, the Jaguars have also increasingly leaned on veteran backup D’Ernest Johnson and third-round rookie Tank Bigsby in recent weeks.
In each of the Jaguars’ last two games, Johnson had got eight touches and recorded a reception that picked up at least 30 yards. Bigsby had a season-high nine touches in Jacksonville’s Week 11 win against the Tennessee Titans.
Etienne enters Week 13 with 1,038 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns. The Bengals are last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and 27th in yards allowed per carry.
