Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne will not suit up against the Patriots today. Pederson tipped his hand shortly before inactives were due 90 minutes before kickoff after the fourth-year suffered a hamstring injury during the team's Week 6 loss to the Chicago Bears.
"Travis had a really good week but, unfortunately, he's not gonna be able to make this game, we just want to make sure he's 100%," Pederson told NFL Media's Sam Wyche in an interview before the game. "So Tank [Bigsby], D'Ernest [Johnson] and Jake Funk, off of our practice squad, gonna elevate him for this game. So, you got those three guys. Tank and D'ernest have done a great job for us so far and we ride with those two guys.''
Jaguars vs Patriots score today: Live updates, how to watch, game predictions
Etienne practiced limited three days this week after head coach Doug Pederson deemed him "week to week" on Monday. Pederson said Friday that Etienne would likely be a game-time decision.
The Jaguars, though, did receive good news on the injury front this week. After spending the last five games on injured reserve cornerback Tyson Campbell was officially moved back to the active 53-man roster. Campbell suffered a hamstring injury during the team's Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He's officially active.
In anticipation of Etienne not suiting up Sunday, the Jaguars announced Saturday that the team elevated running back Jake Funk from the practice squad to the active game-day roster via standard practice squad elevation.
Funk was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent part of 2022 with the team and has played on the New Orleans Saints (2022), Indianapolis Colts (2022, Miami Dolphins (2023) and Baltimore Ravens (2023) practice squads.
Funk finished his senior season at Maryland ranked first in the Big Ten and second nationally in yards per carry (8.6) and third all-time in single-season yards per carry in program history. He was named Third Team All-Big Ten in 20202.
The Jaguars did not rule anyone else out due to injury. They entered the game with just two players listed on the team's game-status report on Friday, Etienne and Campbell.
Jaguars inactives vs. Patriots in Week 7: Etienne (hamstring), DE Myles Cole, OL Javon Foster, OL Cole Van Lanen, DT Esezi Otomewo and DT Maason Smith.
After missing practice two days this week, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson practiced fully on Friday and is active today with a foot injury that kept him out of last week's contest against the Houston Texans.
Patriots inactives vs. Jaguars in Week 7: WR Javon Baker, LT Vederian Lowe, DT Jeremiah Pharms, LB Stone Takitaki, WR Tyquan Thornton, QB Joe Milton
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider becoming a subscriber to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.