Key events
Titans 3-0 Patriots The first points are on the board in Nashville, with the Titans – under interim coach Mike McCoy – kicking an early field goal.
Here are the games starting at 12pm CST/1pm EST/6pm BST (home teams listed first):
(3-2) Chicago Bears v New Orleans Saints (1-5)
(1-5) Cleveland Browns v Miami Dolphins (1-5)
(3-3) Kansas City Chiefs v Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)
(3-2) Minnesota Vikings v Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
(0-6) New York Jets v Carolina Panthers (3-3)
(1-5) Tennessee Titans v New England Patriots (4-2)
Full time: Jaguars 7-35 Rams
Lawrence drags the offense inside the 20-yard line and the tipped pass almost makes it into Dyami Brown’s hands in the endzone but he is just that little bit too far away. A fourth turnover on downs for Lawrence.
And that is all she wrote as the Rams will kneel on it to see this one out. Stafford has been sublime and really shown up Lawrence’s errant passing but 14 penalties and many dropped catches are equally to blame for this shocker from Jacksonville. They were just never in the fight after slipping to 14-0 down in the first quarter.
Sean McVay will be delighted with his team moving up to 5-2 while the Jaguars slip to 4-3 after a second successive defeat, they also drop to 7-7 on games played in London.
Jaguars 7-35 Rams 3:56 4th quarter
Bad to worse for Jacksonville and Brian Thomas Jr. The receiver shuffles off the field with an injury after making three catches on seven targets for 31 yards. Oh and a 14th penalty of the day quickly follows. The Rams have gained almost 30 more yards from Jags penalties than they have rushing: 119 yards plays 92.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 7-35 Rams 4:58, 4th quarter
Adams the hat-trick hero! But first the Jags rack up 13 penalties after another pair of silly mistakes. The first is a bit of brain fade. On what would have been an incompletion on third down, Jourdan Lewis interferes with Davante Adams. Next, again on third down, Gardeck roughs up Stafford to gift 1st and goal on the one-yard line. The QB rolls out and hits Adams for an identical score as the first. He goes one-on-one with Montaric Brown and there is only one winner.
What a day for Stafford. Five touchdowns thrown.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 7-28 Rams 9:06, 4th quarter
Good news! Rookie Travis Hunter grabs his first NFL touchdown. He streaks down field on a corner route deep into the right side of the field, he then cuts back to his left with a swish of his hips and is home for the 34-yard score! Hope is lost in this one but that is promising for the future of this young offense. The drive was set up by another couple of chunk plays from Lawrence to Hunter and Washington.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 0-28 Rams 11:19, 4th quarter
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. This is getting embarrassing now. The Jags force another three and out from Stafford with a huge sack, until they don’t. A defensive holding penalty gifts a first down then the Rams seem content to run out the clock until an incompletion brings out the McVay doesn’t trust his kicker alarm! Poor Joss Karty. What did he do to deserve this. The Rams go for it on 4th down, well sort of.
Stafford catches the Jags in the neutral zone before the snap and it is now just 4th and inches. And they call a naked bootleg instead of the run, Stafford rolls out to his left and goes for the home run shot to Terrance Ferguson. The rookie tight end is wide open in the endzone and he catches his first career touchdown for 31 yards. A perfect throw from Stafford. Two penalties gift LA the touchdown.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 0:27, 3rd quarter
This game has completely stalled. The Rams go three and out now. Since the third LA touchdown this is the game sequence: turnover on downs, kneel, punt, downs, punt, downs, punt, punt, punt. Nine possessions without a single point scored, grim.
Meanwhile former QB and colour commentator Kurt Warner points out that the Jags could be only 21-9 down if they had made field goals rather than trying and failing on fourth downs. I take his point but offer that being 21-9 down is still a giant deficit when they are stalling so badly on approach to the endzone.
Oh and another punt from the Jags, make that 10 possessions. The Rams stellar defense going well for a third game this season not allowing an opponent score a TD.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 2:33, 3rd quarter
A good 17-yard kick return and the Jags are instantly bumped into Rams territory thanks to a face mask penalty on Ty Hamilton. 35 to go. Oh dear, what is it about this territory for Jacksonville? An unblocked Quentin Lake storms straight at Lawrence and the QB doesn’t get the ball out. The Jags are shoved back to the 48-yard line. Punt.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 4:42, 3rd quarter
Stafford pitches a quick three and out as the Jaguars defense maintain their excellent start to the second half. Jacksonville have had ample opportunity to respond and still have plenty of time on the clock. Can Lawrence and his receivers find some rhythm?
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 5:34, 3rd quarter
Another drive for the Jags, another drop from Brian Thomas. Jacksonville are knocking on the red zone after a 38-yard strike to Dyami Brown. Thomas goes up in the elevator has the ball in his hands and lets it go again on 2nd and 7. A missed pass to Hunter then sets up a 4th down. Another incompletion turns it over on downs with Lawrence under extreme pressure. QB is below 50% in completed passes with 15/32 for 185 yard with a rating of 65.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 8:10, 3rd quarter
Another Jags penalty for illegal contact puts the Rams on midfield. Hunter then pops up on defense for Jacksonville. The rookie makes a huge play on Davante Adams of all people on 3rd down to stop the Rams in their tracks on a perfectly thrown deep pass from Stafford. More Hunter on defense might be a good idea. No rest for the rook as the offense need him now.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 10:38, 3rd quarter
LA’s turn to get sloppy. Kam Curl is penalised for defensive holding on Hunter. Jags have 38 yards to go for a vital touchdown. Hunter then makes another catch for eight yards and on 3 and 2 Lawrence sails an easy throw way, way over Johnny Mundt’s head. They go for it and Lawrence fires another fastball off Dyami Brown’s outstretched hand. That poor start is really starting to bite as the Jaguars shouldn’t have to be taking these kinds of risks. That said Lawrence just killed the drive with a missed bread-and-butter throw.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 11:39, 3rd quarter
Travis Hunter is getting going now. Lawrence finds the rookie for back-to-back gains of 11 yards to move the Jags to midfield. Darious Williams then commits pass interference for the Rams for an instant first down as he drags Washington’s head back while swatting the ball down.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 14:16, 3rd quarter
Matthew Stafford rolls out with the Rams offense and goes three and out. Nice work from the Jags defense to hold up their end of the bargain. Almost forced an interception too but the pair of defenders juggle the ball inches off the ground and fail to reel it in. C’mon Trevor, I want to believe. Let’s have it.
In this period of quiet we can take a look at the early slate up next:
A few decent ones in there, the one jumping out to me is Vikings v Eagles. Can Philadelphia stop the slide?
Half-time! Jaguars 0-21 Rams
The Rams are content to sit on the lead and let the clock run down. Confidence is everything but confident they deserve to be. For Jacksonville as Willy Shakespeare didn’t say “a Jaguar doth not change his spots”. It is same old, same old for Lawrence and company. Mistakes have gifted LA great field position and limited the offense. The quarterback is missing throws and when he has made them his receivers are letting him down. A bad day at the offense.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 1:28, 2nd quarter
Lawrence guns it too wide for Hunter and the ball glances off the rookie’s glove for an incompletion on 3rd and 7. 4th down and we are going for it now after declining earlier. Dangerous considering the Jags might give the ball back to Stafford twice as the Rams will receive the second half kick-off.
Lawrence tucks and runs and … is … short. Three yards short. The Rams get the ball back with two timeouts.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 2:00, 2nd quarter
Lawrence finds Thomas up the sideline for 24 yards then keeps the chains moving with some nice mid-range work. First trip to the Rams red zone and the Jaguars dial up the trick play on 2nd and 6. LA are not fooled and Hunter’s scramble is stopped on the line of scrimmage. Key third down coming.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 3:34, 2nd quarter
Lawrence comes out and slings a quick throw out wide straight into the dirt. Strange. Another misfire follows it as a wide open Washington steps out of bounds to cancel out a much-improved long pass. Lawrence calls the time out on third and long.
In this down time Adams snatching a pair of TDs has me jealous as Nacua is languishing on my fantasy bench this week. Anyone have any start/sit propositions they want to throw my way? I promise I will win you your matchup this week.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 0-21 Rams 4:37, 2nd quarter
If you make a mistake at least try and learn from it. The Jaguars commit another needless pass interference penalty on an incomplete pass from Stafford moving them into midfield. A wide open Adams then moves the ball 16 yards into the red zone and Colby Parkinson thinks he has scored until he is politely told he was down on the one-yard line. Adams makes a stunning one-handed grab for a one-yard touchdown. Stafford is on fire: 15/20, 127 yards, 3 touchdowns.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 7:11, 2nd quarter
It’s NO good! The drive starts well with Lawrence shaking off some rust. He scans the field and finds Tim Patrick for a 22-yard strike. The Jags march into Rams territory. A touchdown would be very useful here. And as I finish typing Lawrence throws a perfect fast ball on 3rd and 2 at his star wideout Brian Thomas. The ball goes straight through his his hands. Kicker Cam Little steps up for the 50-yarder and misses. Thomas will be kicking himself for taking his eye off the ball.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 9:59, 2nd quarter
Jacksonville’s defense shows up. Stafford goes three and out with airtight coverage from the Jags defensive backs. And on the punt, more bad luck. Parker Washington returns it for the TOUCHDOWN but an illegal block above the waist by Jarrian Jones chalks it off. The pundits say bad call as the block does not affect the play. Not sure I agree but then Suh chimes in with “if you play football then you know it” so that’s me instantly put in my place. Definitely a bad call. Boo refs, boo.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 11:18, 2nd quarter
A third sack (already) rocks Lawrence to the turf and a failed run puts the ball back in Lawrence’s hands at 3rd and 13. The QB and his young receiver Hunter are not on the same page though and the ball sails by him. Punt.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 12:38, 2nd quarter
Jacksonville smartly are turning to the run and get to midfield with Travis Etienne churning away. LA respond and stop then to set up a 4th and 1. The Jags go for it and Parker Washington scampers for three yards on nifty little end around play.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 1:38, 1st quarter
The tone has just been made clear for the Rams defense. They are here to bully Trevor Lawrence. Linebacker Byron Young chases the QB out of the pocket and shoves him out of bounds with a level of needless aggression verging on the comical.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 0-14 Rams 1:51, 1st quarter
Boom! Xavier Smith logs the seventh different receiver hit by Stafford already today. A short run from Blake Corum then sets up a 1st and goal. Adams then beats his man on the goalline, Stafford tosses it up and the veteran brings it down for the score. So very easy and the Jacksonville defense is really struggling. What an incredible start for the Rams.
Jaguars 0-7 Rams 3:25, 1st quarter
The Rams are back in Jaguars territory in the blink of an eye thanks to a 26-yard pass interference penalty and a 23-yard strike to tight end Colby Parkinson. Then Adams makes his first catch of the day to move Los Angeles back into the red zone on the 15-yard line.
Jaguars 0-7 Rams 4:53, 1st quarter
Apparently Ndamukong Suh, in the studio for Sky Sports, is an Arsenal fan. Did have a bit of Patrick Vieira about him, didn’t he?
Jaguars 0-7 Rams 5:12, 1st quarter
Offensive holding pushes the Jaguars back 10 yards, tough start to their riposte. A great knock down by Kobie Turner on the line of scrimmage forces 3rd and 14 and Lawrence ovethrows Travis Hunter. Three and out again. A 1min 27sec drive followed by a 1min 20sec effort is certainly going to keep those Rams linebackers fresh.
TOUCHDOWN! Jaguars 0-7 Rams 7:01, 1st quarter
No Nacua, no problem. Stafford uses five different receivers on the first drive finishing with rookie Konata Mumpfield (who?) for a five-yard score. It is only his second catch in his young career. Excellent work to finish that under pressure after going for it on 4th and 3.
Jaguars 0-0 Rams 7:01, 1st quarter
The Rams are on and in Nacua’s absence Davante Adams is targeted but overthrown on the opening play. Tight end Tyler Higbee then finds the first down with an easy short pass out Stafford’s right. A nice mix of run and pass in the rain finds another couple of first downs with the tight ends featuring. Higbee in particular is keeping this drive moving with a couple of great grabs with what looks like more of a bar of soap than a ball. And here we go, McVay does not trust his kicker alert. 4th and 3 on the 16-yard line and the Rams go for it. And they get it thanks to running back Kyren Williams making the grab.
Jaguars 0-0 Rams 14:03, 1st quarter
Here we go! Lawrence and the Jaguars offense take the field for the opening drive. First play and Verse sacks the QB. Told you the pass rush was good. Not the start Jacksonville were looking for. Three and out. Punt.
Preamble
Hi and hello football fans, week seven of N-F-L is upon us and has brought with it that rarest of treats: a game between two teams (two!) with winning records in London! The 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars host the 4-2 LA Rams at their home away from home in Wembley. This is very much cause for celebration as at 2.30pm in the UK and the earliest of mornings for fans in Los Angeles at 6.30am we have a shot at closing out this year’s London series with a cracker.
England’s capital has been graced only once before with a matchup between two “good” teams when the Giants and Packers, both 3-1, came to party in 2022. Yes it only took 15 years of slop to finally receive a blessing in Daniel Jones vanquishing Aaron Rodgers 27-22 with a fierce second-half comeback after trailing 17-3.
The G-men would go on to make the playoffs so are either the Rams or Jaguars heading in that direction? Both are well positioned with LA in a three-way tie at the top of the NFC West and Jacksonville one game back from Jones’ Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.
It is a little early to start projecting for the postseason however so let’s take a look at today’s matchup. The big team news is the Rams are missing the great Puka Nacua at wide receiver and the Jaguars are without star linebacker Devin Lloyd. On the field the story so far for both teams has been one of successes let down by inconsistency. For LA the kicking game has been a problem while the offense, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, has been one of the most productive in terms of yards and success rate across the league but are 24th in red zone efficiency scoring a touchdown only 50% of the time they get inside the 20-yard line. Watch out for head coach, Sean McVay, digging into his box of tricks to throw the Jaguars lots of different looks as the Rams aim to break the 30-point mark for the first time this season (second if you count the Titans).
On defense LA are much more solid and have not allowed teams to score a single touchdown twice this season. The men the Jaguars need to be most wary of are the best pass-rushing duo in football Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. The game could be won and lost with how well Jacksonville protect their quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Or they could try and get the running game going again to nullify the pressure on him after struggling against the Seahawks. Jags fans will hope the Lawrence who took down the Chiefs shows up today.
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