JACKSONVILLE – Head Coach Liam Coen's message this week is simple, clear and pertinent.

It is all about the Jaguars.

That has been the theme most weeks during a 4-2 start to the 2026 season. But it is especially true entering Week 8 as the AFC South-leading Jaguars prepare to play host to the Indianapolis Colts (2-5) – a team undergoing significant midseason change.

"This has to all be about our improvements, us getting back on track," Coen said Wednesday morning at the Miller Electric Center.

The Colts on Tuesday traded All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers and All-Pro offensive guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks. With two former pillars now in the NFC West, it would be natural for to expect a different version of the Colts on Sunday.

That's the thinking Coen wants the Jaguars to avoid.

"It's two good players," Coen said. "We can't deny that. But knowing what this team is, knowing what that team's going to want to do, we have a good division opponent that we're playing at home. The focus level getting in pads today has to be about our execution, our fundamentals and technique.

"You just can't control that stuff. And if you think about it too much, it typically doesn't help."

Said quarterback Trevor Lawrence, "If you've played in this league for a while or even just a year, you know how hard it is to win – and no matter who you're playing. It's the NFL. It's hard to beat any team, honestly. You have to play well every week.

"That's the mindset for us, is it doesn't really matter what's going on with the team that we're playing, they're still going to have a team full of guys ready to go that are going to want to beat us here in our home stadium. We have to be ready."

The Jaguars faced a similar situation earlier this month when they played a Philadelphia Eagles team missing its top wide receiver and top two running backs. The Eagles that week also had right tackle Lane Johnson retire, with center Cam Jurgens being traded to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Jaguars needed a clutch kickoff return by running back Ameer Abdullah and a 57-yard, last-play field goal by Cam Little in the final seconds to beat the Eagles, 19-17.

"In this league, any given Sunday," Coen said. "We all know anything can happen, and so often times, teams will come off of some of these moves and things like that with more of a, 'Hey, screw it. Let's go play. Let's go cut it loose and let it rip.'"

"[We know] this is going to be a damn competitive football game on Sunday here in Jacksonville."

Jacksonville enters its second AFC South game of the season – its second division game in as many games – with a 2.5-game lead over the Colts and the Houston Texans (2-5).

"No, no comfort here, man – couldn't even have told you that the other teams in the division were 2-5," Coen said.

The Jaguars lost their last game, 34-31, to the Texans in London and had a bye last week in Week 7 – and that loss is part of what makes the Jaguars a motivated, focused team entering Sunday.

"It's the hardest thing to be on a bye, especially coming off of a loss, and you just want to get back out there and compete, get back out there and practice," Coen said. "I didn't sleep a ton Sunday night because you're just wanting to get back at it, and you want to get back in the building with the players.

"That has kind of been my sense of enjoyment, or any sort of sense of confidence, comes from being able to get back to work with these guys."

NOTABLE

Few NFL teams have been as good on third-down this season as the Jaguars. Offensively, they are converting 47.9 percent of third downs (No. 4 in the NFL). Defensively, they are allowing conversions on just 36.2 percent of third downs (No. 8 in NFL). The two other NFL teams in the Top 10 in both categories: The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams. Coen said a lot of the efficiency comes from "core concepts being run over and over again in a lot of ways." He added, "When you try to create too much on third down, whether it's on either side of the ball, and you find something or see something on tape that you're like, 'OK, we could exploit that,' versus 'OK, why don't we just dress up stuff that we do well that we can continue to build on?' It's a lot of banked reps as well. From the offseason program to training camp, a heavy emphasis on improving in those areas. It hasn't shown in an entirety in a lot in every way, but in those ways, on third down specifically, some of that stuff has shown up."