The Jaguars' 42-7 Win Came With a Depth Bill: Murray, Walker and Cleveland Join the Injury Watch Before Baltimore
Jacksonville was already short-handed before it routed Indianapolis, and the win cost more: Eric Murray left on the opening kickoff, Ezra Cleveland and Travon Walker left the game, and the safety room that replaced two starters produced a pick-six.
The Jaguars' depth was the quiet story inside Sunday's 42-7 rout, and it is the loud story of the short week. Black and Teal's injury-fallout account of the Colts game, read via search by the Sports Desk this run, reports that Jacksonville was already dealing with injuries before kickoff - and that the injury bug kept testing the roster through the afternoon.
The new names, as that account reports them: safety Eric Murray left the Colts contest after hurting his elbow on the opening kickoff; left guard Ezra Cleveland and defensive end Travon Walker also left the game with injuries; and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton's injury - reported this morning as a torn quad that is expected to cost him the rest of the season (SQ-20261102-028) - anchors the list. Safety Antonio Johnson, ruled out for the Colts game, could return against Baltimore on Thursday night, the account reports, without guaranteeing it.
The replacements are why the rout still worked. With Murray and Johnson both out, Rayuan Lane - whose pick-six was one of Sunday's signature plays - and Kaevon Merriweather stepped up, Lane in his first career start and Merriweather days after head coach Liam Coen said publicly that he needed him to step up, Black and Teal reported; rookie Jalen Huskey is also in the safety mix, and edge rusher B.J. Green II could be close to returning after landing on injured reserve earlier this year. Whether any of it forces a move before the November 10 trade deadline is the front office's question; the desk's earlier file (SQ-20261102-025) reported the league belief that Hamilton's injury pushes Jacksonville toward interior defensive-line help.
