JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. said he spent the team’s bye week trying to “flush” his London benching. And now he wants to do everything possible to “be the best team player I can.”
Thomas plans to treat Sunday’s home game against Indianapolis (2-5) as a fresh start following the worst six-game stretch of his three-year NFL career.
“I really just wanted to flush it, come back ready with a different mindset, come back ready to go,” he said Wednesday. “It’s football at the end of the day. Got more things out there to do.
“I’m just trying to be a team player, just going out there, helping out, trying to do anything I can to help the team win, whether it’s blocking, just trying to do everything I can do to be the best team player I can.”
Thomas was benched at halftime of Jacksonville’s loss to Houston at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 18, raising speculation that the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 draft might get traded during the team’s bye.
Nothing materialized, and now the Jaguars (4-2) are counting on Thomas making plays beginning against the Colts.
“Every player has ups and downs, and it’s just week to week in the NFL,” coach Liam Coen said. “I fully anticipate he’s going to make plays for us this Sunday. It’s just every week different guys step up, different guys make plays, and you’ve got to be able to be consistent with their approach as a coach to say, ‘OK, you got to keep giving people opportunities.’
“But also, when there’s a hot hand going, you got to go with the hot hand a little bit here and there, and that’s just the way the game flows.”
The Colts have lost 11 consecutive road games against Jacksonville, a skid that includes a 2016 matchup in London. It could be a comfortable matchup for Thomas, who has two of his four 100-yard games against Indy.
“Everybody goes through adversity,” Thomas said. “You just got to keep fighting through it. That’s the only way I know how to get through it. Just keep fighting through it, and I mean, that’s what I’m going to continue to do.
“Keep fighting and keep coming in with a good mindset. Keep working hard each and every day of practice, going out there doing the little things, trying to be the best that I can be.”
Thomas has nine receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown this season. He played a career-low 15 snaps against the Texans, creating more opportunities for two-way standout Travis Hunter and rookie Josh Cameron.
Thomas was targeted twice in the first half but failed to catch either pass. The first one was a clear drop on the opening series. His cleats slipped out from under him on the second one at the end of the first half, negating a play that would have put the Jaguars in field-goal range with a second remaining.
Thomas’ production has dipped since he hauled in 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns — and made the Pro Bowl — as a rookie.
He had 48 receptions on 91 targets in 2025, catching just 47.3% of the balls thrown his way. He tied for second in the NFL with 10 drops and had several more in which he short-armed attempts or stopped running. He even ducked while going for one pass in the end zone.
Thomas looked as if he would bounce back with a strong offseason, but he dropped two passes at Denver in Week 2 and landed back in the doghouse in London.
“It seems like there haven’t been quite as many opportunities as maybe we would’ve liked early in the season and planned for, but that’s just football,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Like, it doesn’t go exactly as planned. We’ve done some other things really well this season.”
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Mark Long, The Associated Press