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The Colts signaled a willingness to quit on their season by trading guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner this week and the rest of the team showed they are more than willing to take a knee on Sunday.
The Jaguars rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead at home and then kept pounding the Colts in the second half until they finally called off the dogs in the fourth quarter. The 42-7 win moves the Jags to 5-2 on the season and they got to rest starters in the final minutes as they started thinking about Thursday’s game in Baltimore.
It looked for a moment like the Colts might be able to make it a game when Jaylahn Tuimoloau forced a Trevor Lawrence fumble on a sack, but their scoring chances went up in smoke when Daniel Jones was picked off by Rayuan Lane on a pass that went off tight end Tyler Warren’s hands. Lane returned the ball for a touchdown and there was little left to wonder about in the second half.
One question was answered in the fourth when the Colts pulled Jones after his second interception and gave Anthony Richardson his first chance to play this season. Richardson was 2-of-2 for eight yards and he ran twice for four yards in garbage time and whether it is time to let him take over as the starter is one of the questions for the Colts as they move into Week 9.
Another will be whether they pull the trigger on a trade involving running back Jonathan Taylor. He suited up today, but his eight carries and four catches made no argument that his presence is going to make the Colts a competitive team for the remainder of the season. If Taylor remains in town, he’ll join the Colts for a game against the Cowboys next week.
The Jaguars don’t have to wonder about trading players away and they may be more interested in adding to a roster that has them well on their way to another division title. Bhayshul Tuten had 159 yards of offense and two touchdowns while Lawrence was an efficient 10-of-14 for 210 yards and three scores before letting Quinn Ewers get some time on offense. One of Lawrence’s touchdowns went to Brian Thomas, who had not caught a pass of any kind since Week 4, and there were nothing but smiles on the Jacksonville sideline at the end of this one.