JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key storylines from the Jaguars’ 42-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a 2026 Week 8 game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville Sunday

1.Run to win. The Jaguars' running game had been consistent this season, and it had been close to a breakout game. The area got that breakout game in a big way Sunday, with running back Bhayshul Tuten rushing for 104 yards on 16 carries as the Jaguars rushed for a season-high 183 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. "I think I played fast and physical today, and I played worry free," Tuten said. "I felt a big game was coming and today was a great way to show it." Veteran Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 41 yards and a 28-yard touchdown on six carries, with Tuten also added a 25-yard touchdown on a screen pass on the final play of the third quarter for a 42-7 lead. "I thought Toot (Tuten) played really well," Head Coach Liam Coen said. "He had a great week of practice again, and it really carried over."

2.Big, big loss. The Jaguars' dominant, 21-0 second quarter Sunday was marred by a significant injury, with nose tackle DaVon Hamilton sustaining a knee injury on a play that resulted in a key Colts fumble that led to a Jaguars touchdown. On the play, on which defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. recovered the fumble at the 50-yard line, Hamilton's knee buckled as he shed blocks. Hamilton, a seventh-year veteran who is critical to the Jaguars' dominant run defense, left the field on a cart and was ruled out of the game soon thereafter. "He's out there laying down and he's reassuring me," Coen said. "That's who he is. He has a smile on his face, actually. He trusts God. He trusts himself. He trusts life. He's just one of those types of people. It's tough to see that, obviously. Really tough. We have to evaluate what it truly is."

3.Safety first. This was "next-man up" in real time. With Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson out Sunday with an ankle injury, and with safety Eric Murray leaving in the first quarter with an elbow injury, three Jaguars reserve safeties – Rayuan Lane III, rookie Jalen Huskey and Kaevon Merriweather – played extensively on Sunday and all made an impact. "Our whole group is ready to go, so when it's our time we go make plays to help us win," Lane said, with defensive end Josh Hines-Allen adding, "When you have guys that are bought in all around, who are ready for their time to shine, it's the next man-up-mentality unfortunately. Those guys came up huge." Lane returned a first-half interception for a 92-yard touchdown, with Huskey – a third-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft – registering a fourth-quarter sack. Merriweather registered two tackles and a quarterback hit. "To have those guys step up is a credit to [Jaguars defensive backs coach] Anthony Perkins and [defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile] for the way they called it, the way they prepared those guys – and to the players for staying the course," Coen said. "They understood that next-man-up mentality that we have to have as a team. It's the NFL. It's violent. Guys get nicked up. Those guys stayed the course, prepared the right way and it showed up in a major way."

4.Big lead, no matter. The Jaguars on Sunday extended their lead in the AFC South to three games over the idle Houston Texans, with the Jaguars now 5-2 and the Texans – who lost to the New York Giants last Sunday – now 2-5. The Colts slipped to 2-6 with Sunday's loss and the Tennessee Titans are now 1-7 after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals, 43-36, in overtime Sunday. "It's not really something you pay attention to too much, the lead in the division," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. "Winning your division is really important, but for us it's really just going week by week. We're not thinking, 'We're a few games up. We're in a good spot. We can relax.' That's not really at all how we think. We have a lot of football left. We have to take it one week at a time.  Good teams don't think about the division lead they have. There's so much football to play. The season is very young and we have to keep getting better."

5.A bit of rest and a look ahead. Lawrence was among multiple Jaguars players leaving the game in the fourth quarter Sunday, and that's a positive with the Jaguars playing the Baltimore Ravens at MT&T Bank Field in Baltimore Thursday. It's the Jaguars' lone Thursday Night Football appearance of the season and their first since 2023. Players such as linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, Tuten and defensive end Travon Walker also left Sunday's game by early in the fourth quarter. "It did help that it wasn't necessarily deep into the fourth quarter where all of our guys were playing," Lawrence said. "That's one benefit of today, but it's a quick turnaround. We start first thing in the morning preparing for Baltimore. It's not going to be the most physical week of practice. That's something you have to consider, that the game plan reflects the time you have to prepare. That's obviously something we'll prepare for."