- WHERE: Wembley Stadium (London)
- WHEN: 9:30 a.m. ET | NFL Network, NFL+
After three weeks in the United Kingdom, the final London game of the 2024 season will kick off Sunday morning when the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) host the New England Patriots (1-5) at Wembley Stadium in a matchup of a pair of teams in dire need of a win.
The Patriots’ season, expected to be a rebuilding year under new head coach Jerod Mayo, opened with an upset win over the Bengals, but the team has since lost five in a row. Looking for a change, Week 6 against the Houston Texans featured the highly anticipated first start of 2024 No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye. Though his debut ended in a 41-21 loss, it marked the opening of a new era for New England as they head to London.
As for the Jaguars, they started the season 0-4 before earning their first win of 2024 in a thriller against the Colts. But in traveling to London for the first of their back-to-back international games last week, they couldn’t build on that win, instead getting blown out by the Bears, 35-16. Now they remain in the U.K. for a second straight week as questions swirl over whether changes could be in store if things continue on this path.
It may be a battle of teams at the bottom of the AFC standings, but there will be no lack of storylines or motivation on either side of this early morning matchup. Both teams arguably face a must-win situation, but only one will come out on top and bring a W back home with them after their international trip.
Here are three things to watch for when the Patriots and Jaguars square off in London on Sunday on NFL Network and NFL+:
1) Drake Maye searches for his first NFL win. Week 6 gave the Patriots a taste of what is possible with Maye at quarterback, despite what the score might have shown. But the next step is for him to win a game, with two major hurdles to overcome in that effort. While Maye was able to start building a relationship with his wide receivers, throwing three touchdown passes to three different players, he struggled with taking care of the ball, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble on a sack. The Jaguars defense has struggled against the pass game, ranking dead last in yards per game allowed, and also has only one interception so far, so Maye will not want to give them any additional help. The other area of concern is New England's offensive line, which has shuffled its starting five every week so far and has not found success in any iteration. They rank second-to-last in sacks allowed (23), and Maye was taken down four times last week, banging up his knee in the process. The Jacksonville pass rush, which has 14 sacks in six games, has been looking to get star Josh Hines-Allen (2.5 sacks) going alongside Travon Walker (five sacks), so again, this is a battle that could make the difference in how Maye’s second effort turns out.
2) Jaguars need to stop beating themselves. Jacksonville entered this season in win-now mode and believed it had the talent to do so. That hasn’t come to fruition so far, as the Jaguars’ statistical marks on both sides of the ball are near the bottom of the league, and their record reflects that. The main problem for Jacksonville so far has been its costly mistakes -- they’re tied for third in penalties with 47 -- and struggles to step up in key moments, as evidenced by four one-score games (three losses) in the first five weeks. And then last week against the Bears, the Jaguars scored first and hung in early, but a mix of penalties, drops, turnovers and big plays let the game get out of hand, with the offense and the defense sharing responsibility for the loss. Needing to avoid falling completely out of contention, the Jaguars are presented with an advantageous matchup this week in the Patriots, who have dealt with their fair share of struggles as well. New England ranks 31st in points scored and 32nd in pass yards and will be starting a rookie at QB, giving Jacksonville’s struggling defense a solid matchup for a hopeful turnaround. And the Pats’ defense, despite boasting rising stars like Christian Gonzalez and Keion White, ranks in the bottom-third of the league in yards allowed and surrendered 41 points last week, possibly a golden opportunity for Trevor Lawrence to really break out. If self-inflicted errors lead to yet another loss in what is arguably the Jaguars’ most favorable matchup so far, this game could lead to a reckoning for this team.
3) Ground game matchup could be crucial. With both offenses coming into the matchup with notable struggles in the passing game, how well each side runs the ball -- and who’s healthy -- could be a key component in determining a victor. The Jaguars rank 19th in rush yards per game, with the tandem of Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby taking on the majority of the duties. This pairing had been good, if not great through the first five weeks, averaging 126.2 yards per game. But against the Bears nothing got going, as the team finished with 68 yards on the ground with no individual recording more than 28 yards. To add injury to insult, Etienne also hurt his hamstring in the game and is a game-time decision. He had three carries for -1 yards before exiting the contest. On the visitor’s side, the Patriots' 12th-ranked run game has been their strength, starting with a 170-yard effort that helped them beat the Bengals in Week 1. Last week, however, the run game stalled with leading rusher Rhamondre Stevenson out with a foot injury. Drake Maye accounted for 38 of the team’s 82 yards, and the rest of the team averaged just over two yards per carry. Stevenson remains on the injury report and didn't practice early in the week, putting his status in doubt. Whether he is available or not, the Patriots will want to get that ground game going again to support their rookie QB. Which one of the teams will be able to get this element of the offense going, and how will it impact the final outcome?