As we’ve said in this column all year: sometimes you just have to beat the brakes on a bad team. The Jacksonville Jaguars did just that on Sunday, winning 42-7 against the hapless and directionless Indianapolis Colts.
Sunday’s box score was about as good as it could get with Trevor Lawrence throwing effectively and in command. Bhayshul Tuten played very well and even Brian Thomas Jr. has caught the ball. On defense, the Jags had four sacks with one coming from Travon Walker. The Colts are tired but still need this divisional win to keep the Jaguars atop the AFC South and in the hunt for a top overall AFC seed.
Jacksonville got even better news later when Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was hit on injured reserve before Thursday night’s game at Baltimore. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, the injury bug bit the team hard on Sunday with DaVon Hamilton being the big name hurt. Hamilton was carted off the field and reportedly tore his quad and was done for the year.
But such is life in the National Football League. For now, it’s time for the Victory Monday celebration.
The Jags made an incredible decision when they decided to hand the keys to the back room to Tuten. It paid off in a big way with Tuten’s almost undisputed best game this coming Sunday against the Colts.
The second-year running back led the team in both receiving (two catches for 55 yards and a score) and rushing (16 carries for 104 yards and a score). He scored twice in a game for the second time in two consecutive tries. His 159 total yards were the most by a Jag since 2023.
Tuten’s tough, downhill running style gives the Jags a very useful penalty offense that most teams aren’t ready for. When Tuten gets going, the Jags are a nasty offense that can score with the best of them.
Talking about Nate Boerkircher is a lot of fun. No, he doesn’t get 20 targets a game but he sure makes the most of them when he does.
The rookie second-rounder caught just one pass Sunday, but he hauled it in for 31 yards and a score. Like Tuten, he now has touchdowns in back-to-back games after going scoreless in the first five games of his career.
Boerkircher got his pass to Lawrence – who did an incredible job to avoid pressure – and found himself wide open. It’s not a one-handed leap like last week, but the rook has caught all five of his targets in his last three games.
For weeks, or even years at this point, we’ve all been calling for sacks from this defensive line. Everything was fixed on Sunday.
Jacksonville left its game against the Colts with four sacks. Foye Oluokun, Travon Walker and random rookie safety Jalen Huskey all had sacks. Josh Hines-Allen and Arik Armstead were both given .5 each. You have to go back to the opener when the Jags had that many sacks in one game when they had five against the Browns.
In terms of PFF grades, three Jags defensive linemen are among the top-five graded players. It got so bad for the Colts that even Rayuan Lane (who had a good game by the way) was forced. Finally, a full-circle game from that defensive line unit.
As an aside, with Hamilton’s injury, it probably forces the Jags’ hand to make a play for a run-stopping defensive lineman. That trade could include sending Brian Thomas Jr. somewhere else. Maybe it’s all addition by subtraction at the end.
Sunday wasn’t a “Travis Hunter game” but he was just as good as a Jaguar. He looks cool in matchups and is an asset on both sides of the ball. He’s really a force multiplier because offenses have to worry about throwing near him and defenses have to worry about his quick shift speed as a receiver. Yes, it took a bit to get everything out of the way in terms of usage, but everything works fine now.
Courtesy of two Daniel Jones picks to Lane and Branson Combs (never thought I would type those names together) Jaguars fans can get 50% Al’s Pizza with the code PIZZAPICKOFF. What’s better than some pizza and the knowledge that at least two AFC South teams are absolutely terrible?
Hamilton’s injury will be an issue. No telling how much or when, but it will change some things. And he is not alone. Walker collided and so did guard Ezra Cleveland. There is no worse injury than seeing Hamilton carted off the field on Sunday morning after how well he played. Christian Barmore is a name that comes to mind to replace Hamilton, but we will have to see. That victory Sunday could have been even better if the Jags had come out of it healthy.
There are some truly bad teams in the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars are not one of them.
League-wide, the Bucs have won one game without completing a pass. The Titans took the Bengals to overtime. The Cowboys lost again. The Chargers lost AGAIN. The Vikings still can’t score on offense and the Eagles may stop playing the football altogether. A decent bit has been said about how cupcake the future schedule is for Jacksonville, but so what? We can’t help but be good when everyone else outside of like three seems to suck. It’s a great time to be a Jaguars fan.
Give us your thoughts on Sunday’s game and some names who you might like to see the Jags get to replace Hamilton. And see you back here in a short week as the Jags look to keep the good vibes going against Baltimore on Thursday.