As they wrapped up their two-week stay in London, the Jacksonville Jaguars gave their head coach Doug Pederson a gift money can’t buy: breathing room.
The Jaguars thrashed the New England Patriots in the NFL’s London finale, earning a much-needed 32-16 victory that will lower the temperature on Pederson’s increasingly hot seat.
But it didn’t start out that way. All Patriots in the first quarter. Drake Maye, making his second NFL start, was calm and cool, leading the team down the field behind a solid offensive line that gave Maye the time he needed in the pocket. The Bats scored on their opening drive for the first time this season, and after a quick possession from the Jags that went nowhere, they kicked a field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
The Jags finally answered in the second quarter, when Lawrence came alive to lead a 68-yard touchdown drive. That finally started Jacksonville’s offensive engine. On their next possession, Lawrence took the ball downfield for a beautiful 58-yard pass, and a few plays later the Jags scored a TD for their first lead of the game.
But the second quarter wasn’t over yet, and neither were the Jags. A punt they returned 96 yards for a touchdown, their first punt return TD in four years and the longest in Jacksonville history. Once you add in the successful two-point conversion at the end of that TD, the Jags scored 22 unanswered points on the Patriots in just one quarter.
The intensity of the second half was toned down a bit, but the Patriots continued to be smothered by the Jaguars in every quarter. The Pats couldn’t stop Jacksonville’s high-powered offense from scoring, and the Jags’ defensive line became impenetrable.
Bates finally had a chance to break through the Jags’ defensive wall in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game. After Maye connected with KJ Osborne for a touchdown, head coach Jerrod Mayo elected to go for two points. A win would have brought the Pats within seven points of the Jacks, but they were unable to do so and ended up nine points behind Jacksonville.
New England didn’t have enough time or fight to take it to Jacksonville in the final minutes. To put an exclamation point on the end of this game, the Jags scored another touchdown in the final minute to put the Patriots up 32-16 and ensure a very enjoyable flight for the entire team to Jacksonville.
The game concludes the London portion of the NFL’s international schedule. The final international game of 2024 is Giants vs Panthers in Munich on November 10.
Patriots vs. Jaguars: How to watch the NFL London game
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