Alec Pierce is back on the field in Indianapolis, and Colts head coach Shane Steichen says the team wasn’t going to rush him into anything after heel surgery. Steichen said Pierce was fully cleared before the Colts put him back out there: “We never would have put him on the field if we didn’t feel good about it and he didn’t feel good about it.”
In Jacksonville, Liam Coen wasn’t buying the pass interference call on Travis Hunter in the Week 3 loss to the Broncos, and the Jaguars head coach said the sequence also led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on him. “I mean, I just thought it was - I’m not going to comment on it,” Coen said, via Jags Wire.
“I thought he played it decent. I said one thing, and got flagged.
It is what it is.”
Houston’s offense leaned heavily on Dalton Schultz when Nico Collins was out in Week 2, and C.J. Stroud kept feeding the veteran tight end.
Schultz was targeted 14 times and finished with 12 catches for 140 yards. Afterward, Stroud made it clear how much he trusts Schultz to be in the right spot.
“His value is tremendous. I’ve talked about Dalton a lot this offseason, just a lot of people have asked about him.
He’s been huge in my development, not just as a quarterback on the field, but just how to operate in and out the huddle, how to communicate in two minute and he’s very smart with situations and red zone, all the things,” Stroud said via USA Today’s Ariana Pensy. “Then off the field, we’re very close as well.
He’s been huge to me, and I think he’s been great to this team, great to this organization. He’s a man’s man, he wants to work hard, he does the dirty work.
I think he’ll look great on Sunday and he’ll continue to be really good for us.”
In Other News...
Trevor Lawrence Hints At A Jaguars Passing Game Shift vs Patriots
Trevor Lawrence is already looking for ways to widen the Jaguars passing attack as Jacksonville heads into its Week 3 matchup with New England. One name at the center of that discussion is Jakobi Meyers, who has been targeted only three times through two games but has made the most of those looks, turning them into 68 yards and a touchdown while giving the offense a reliable target when called upon.
Lawrence praised Meyers route running and his grasp of the offense, a sign the Jaguars want to make him a more consistent part of the game plan. For a passing game still settling into rhythm early in the season, the focus isnt just on getting Meyers the ball more often, but on creating the kind of role that makes him harder for defenses to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Just Got Extra Motivation For A Huge Jaguars Response
Trevor Lawrence is getting a little external validation at just the right time. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who spent years seeing the Jaguars quarterback up close in the AFC South, said Lawrence has looked more decisive, more careful with the ball and more willing to push it downfield while still using his legs to extend plays. For a Jacksonville offense trying to find steadier footing, praise like that from a defensive-minded coach carries some weight, especially when it comes with a reminder of how far Lawrence has come.
Lawrence, meanwhile, made it clear the Jaguars are approaching this week with a lot of film work behind them. He said the coaching staff has studied past games against the Titans to help the offense get ready for New England's defensive scheme, a detail that underscores how much Jacksonville is leaning on familiar AFC South lessons to solve a different problem. The question now is whether that preparation, paired with Lawrence's growth, turns into the kind of response the Jaguars have been looking for. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Face An Early Test That Could Define This Team
The early-season picture for Jacksonville is already a little sharper than the standings suggest. Both the Jaguars and the Patriots came out of last season as top AFC teams, but each has stumbled to one loss in its first two games in 2026, and now they meet in a matchup that feels like more than a routine September check-in. New England has been dragged down by offensive inconsistency, even as its defense has kept it in games, while Jacksonville enters with the market leaning its way.
For the Jaguars, this is the sort of test that can say plenty about whether last year was a launch point or just a strong run. The line has moved slightly toward Jacksonville, which reflects the belief that the Jaguars should have enough to handle a Patriots team still trying to find its rhythm on offense. A win would quiet some early unease and help separate the Jaguars from the pack in the AFC, but the way this one plays out may matter just as much as the result. [Read more 🡒]