As they wrapped up their two-week stay in London, the Jacksonville Jaguars gave their embattled head coach Doug Pederson a gift money can’t buy: breathing room.
The Jaguars stomped all over the New England Patriots in the NFL’s London finale, rolling to a much-needed 32-16 win that will turn down the temperature on Pederson’s increasingly hot seat.
But it didn’t start that way. It was all Patriots in the first quarter. Drake Maye, starting just his second NFL game, was calm and cool, leading the team down the field behind a solid offensive line that gave Maye all the time he needed in the pocket. The Pats scored on their opening drive for the first time this season, and after a quick, go-nowhere possession from the Jags, they nailed a field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
The Jags finally answered back in the second quarter, with Lawrence coming alive to lead a 68-yard touchdown drive. That finally started Jacksonville’s offensive engine. On their next possession Lawrence hucked the ball downfield for a gorgeous 58-yard pass, and a few plays later the Jags scored a TD for their very first lead of the game.
But the second quarter wasn’t done yet, and neither were the Jags. They had a punt returned 96 yards for a touchdown, their first punt return TD in four years, and the longest in Jacksonville history. Once you add on the successful two-point conversion at the end of that TD, the Jags scored 22 unanswered points on the Patriots in just one single quarter.
The intensity of the second half was dialed down a bit, but the Patriots continued to be stymied by the Jaguars in every area. The Pats couldn’t stop Jacksonville’s ground-heavy offense from scoring, and Jax’s defensive line had become impossible to break through.
The Pats finally managed to puncture a hole in the Jags’ defensive wall in the fourth quarter and had the opportunity to make it a one-possession game. After Maye connected with K.J. Osborn for a touchdown, head coach Jerod Mayo elected to go for two points. If successful, it would have brought the Pats to within seven points of the Jags, but they couldn’t make it happen and remained nine points behind Jacksonville.
New England didn’t have enough time or fight left to take it to Jacksonville in the closing minutes. And to put an exclamation point on the end of this game, the Jags scored one more touchdown in the final minute to double up the Patriots 32-16 and ensure the entire team has a very enjoyable flight back to Jacksonville.
This game brings the London portion of the NFL’s international schedule to a close. The final international game of 2024 will be Giants vs. Panthers in Munich on Nov. 10.
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