The TV cameras panned to star running back Jonathan Taylor in the final seconds of the Colts’ 42–7 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. 

That could potentially be the last time Taylor is seen wearing a Colts uniform, with rumors swirling about his availability ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Indianapolis might be holding out for a first-round pick for Taylor, but either way, it seems a move is imminent after the team fell to 2–6.

There might be just one team fit for giving up a first-rounder for Taylor’s services.  

And speaking about the trade deadline, it’s time for the 0–7 Chargers to get real and begin their own fire sale. Teams will be asking about Khalil Mack, Derwin James, Tuli Tuipulotu and Quentin Johnston after the Chargers were crushed by the Rams, 24–9.

Here’s what we learned from Week 8’s action. 

Bengals should strike a deal for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor

Indianapolis desperately wants a first-round pick for Taylor, evident from all the NFL insiders repeatedly saying that the team needs to be blown away to consider parting with the star running back.

It’s a poker game right now, but the odds might not be in the Colts’ favor for landing a first-round pick for a running back who has plenty of wear and tear through six and a half seasons in the league. Even if they don’t get the first-rounder, the Colts need to get something in return for Taylor because their 2027 first-round selection already went to the Jets in their trade for Sauce Gardner last year. Teams know Indianapolis is desperate for more picks and could eventually move on from Taylor without a first-rounder. In ’22, the 49ers acquired star running back Christian McCaffrey without sending the Panthers a first-round pick, but they still gave up plenty after relinquishing four selections, including second- and third-rounders.

Either way, it seems the Bengals are the right team to give the Colts what they want. They’re 5–2 with a proven passing offense that is in need of a star running back to hit another gear collectively. Yes, they already have been aggressive, sending their No. 10 pick in April to the Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, but the Bengals have no time to waste after missing the postseason the past three seasons and giving Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins lucrative contract extensions. Also, Taylor would be more than just a rental for a Super Bowl push. His contract runs through the 2028 season and he doesn’t turn 28 until January.

Jonathan Taylor turns the short pass into a big gain 😤

TENvsIND on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/G98Onb1NrB

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

I will add that the Bengals have issues defensively, which I’ll get to later. But they’re likely going to have a good final record, which would put their first pick near the bottom of the first round to make it feel more like a second-round selection. Not to mention, a strong running game could fix many issues on offense and defense for Cincinnati. 

The Broncos also have been connected to Taylor, but third-year quarterback Bo Nix isn’t as proven as Burrow. It probably wouldn’t be wise to get extra aggressive without knowing whether the young quarterback can make the most of the situation. Nix has had issues connecting with receiver Jaylen Waddle, who cost the Broncos a first-round pick in the offseason. This offense didn’t appear to be just a player away in its up-and-down performance against Kansas City on Sunday.

The same can be said for the Vikings, who lost their first game of the season Sunday against the Lions. Quarterback Kyler Murray can’t be trusted and Minnesota needs a first-rounder to possibly draft his replacement. The Giants might also be in on the Taylor sweepstakes, but they ultimately could play it safe knowing that they’re not quite there in their rebuild to be an all-in team. 

Thus, the Bengals and Colts should spend this week figuring how to get a deal done.  

Bengals continue to fly under the radar after getting by Titans

It’s not a good sign that the Bengals needed to go to overtime to get by the one-win Titans, 43–36. In truth, there’s a lot to be concerned about with this team since its 2–0 start. 

Cincinnati’s rocky performance in the high-scoring affair might get overlooked because it held on to win and Burrow had gaudy numbers with 462 passing yards and five touchdowns. But the star signal-caller also had three interceptions in large part because the Bengals couldn’t run the football (only 75 rushing yards), which has been an ongoing problem and why they could be in the mix for Taylor ahead of next week’s trade deadline. 

The Bengals are winning but have kept a low profile for most of the season. It’s as if the football public saw the difference Dexter Lawrence II immediately made in the first two games of the season, assuming that the defense was fixed and the Bengals would roll into the playoffs. But those who have been paying attention know Cincinnati continues to have a weak defense despite strong individual performances from Lawrence, who had a sack against Tennessee. The Bengals allowed the Titans to rack up 440 yards, including 304 passing yards from inconsistent QB Cam Ward. 

While Cincinnati is on track to end a three-yard playoff drought, this team can’t afford to have a short postseason run with how much they’re paying Burrow, Chase and Higgins. The Bengals should strongly push for a Taylor trade and add some defensive reinforcements. 

Let’s not forget this team’s two-game losing streak to Pittsburgh and Jacksonville earlier in the season. The Bengals haven’t really played anyone tough since losing to those two playoff contenders, beating the Dolphins, Lamar Jackson–less Ravens and the Titans on Sunday. The under-the-radar team shouldn’t get complacent.  

Chargers need to wake up, start the fire sale 

It was amusing to see the reports that emerged in the past week about the Chargers telling teams they’re not interested in trading their top veterans. 

GM Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh were likely saying that with the intention of getting teams to put together better offers. At 0–7, there’s no need to bluff because L.A. has no leverage. Everyone knows—even a total optimist like Harbaugh—the Chargers aren’t going to climb out of this massive hole they have dug for themselves. It’s time to field offers, and maybe even put everyone on the trading block. I won't get too carried away and say the Chargers have to trade Justin Herbert, who had another terrible performance Sunday against the Rams, throwing two interceptions.  

But James needs to be on the trading block, especially if there’s a chance the star safety can make a full recovery from his hamstring injury in the near future. (He was recently placed on injured reserve.) The Chargers could possibly get a mid-round draft pick for Mack, the 35-year-old edge rusher who’s still playing at a high level.

But maybe the Chargers’ best trade chip is Tuipulotu because young edge rushers of his caliber are rarely made available in the middle of a season. The team and the 24-year-old defender failed to agree to a contract extension this summer. 

It’s time for the Chargers to begin wheeling and dealing. 

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was right to demote Ashton Jeanty 

Jeanty might have gotten himself benched after giving the Jets bulletin board material after questioning whether they like to tackle. Then again, maybe it wasn’t just his words, as Jeanty has struggled to produce in his second season.

Regardless of the reason, Kubiak has needed to send Jeanty a message for quite some time—he entered Sunday averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. It seems Jeanty got it loud and clear because the 2025 first-round pick found other ways to produce as the backup for rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. in the Raiders’ 38–33 road victory. Washington had a game-high 25 carries for 83 yards and Jeanty recorded three catches for 64 yards, along with two carries for nine yards. 

The more I think about this situation, the more I’m starting to believe Jeanty’s criticism of the Jets earlier in the week probably unveiled a big part of the team’s game plan. Las Vegas certainly forced New York to tackle with 33 rushing attempts, which was more than QB Kirk Cousins’s 26 passing attempts. Cousins still had a nice bounce-back three-touchdown performance after Kubiak contemplated pulling him in favor of rookie Fernando Mendoza. Now we’ll see whether being 4–4 is enough for the Raiders not to put Cousins on the trading block. 

Maybe the Silver and Black coaches didn’t like that Jeanty made the Jets aware that their opponent had taken notice of their poor tackling efforts and punished him for that. As for another theory, Jeanty might have been made aware earlier in the week that they were going to lean on Washington more because he’s been the more physical back this season and that’s why he had the Jets’ weak run defense on his mind.

That rugged playing style played a vital role in the Raiders rallying back from a 23–14 deficit and ending a four-game losing streak. There’s a chance Jeanty regains his starting role next week because Washington didn’t do much to maintain the job after averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. Still, Kubiak made the right decision to bench a prominent player. It seems the entire team got the message loud and clear.