RB Rhamondre Stevenson returns for Patriots vs. Jaguars at Wembley Stadium

After spending the last two days across the pond, game day is finally here as Jacksonville hosts New England in its home market. As kickoff draws ever closer, here are the inactive Patriots in this international showdown: T Vederian Lowe (ankle), WR Javon Baker (illness), LB Sione Takitaki (knee), WR Tyquan Thornton, DE Jeremiah Pharms and rookie Joe Milton at backup quarterback. Jacksonville's inactives are RB Travis Etienne, DE Myles Cole, T Javon Foster, T Cole Van Lane, DE Esezi Otomewo and DT Maason Smith.

Offensively, rookie quarterback Drake Maye will get a big boost with the return of lead back Rhamondre Stevenson after a one-game absence. Stevenson missed last week's loss to the Texans due to a foot injury. On Friday, head coach Jerod Mayo called Stevenson a game-winning decision. At the time, the Pats RB1 was a full participant in New England's practice at Harrow School before being officially listed as questionable. Now Rhamondre is a try.

“I'm fine at the moment. I had to take a few days off, but I feel like I should be ready to go on Sunday,” Stevenson said Friday.

Last week, the Patriots' running game was difficult without Stevenson in the lineup. New England's running backs only averaged 2.1 yards per rush on four successful runs compared to six stuffs. Additionally, the Pats RBs managed just 2.3 yards after contact per attempt in Week 6. With their lead back in the mix over the last five weeks, the Patriots ranked third-best in the NFL with an average of 4.1 yards after contact per rush.

Although he has performed well this season, Stevenson's return as lead back allows speedback Antonio Gibson to assume his usual role. Stevenson excels at creating yards in front of the tackle and being able to make a lot of touches, while Gibson performs best in space where he can thrive in the open field. Hopefully Stevenson Maye's return will give Maye a decent rushing attack so it's not just a rookie.

As for blockers for Maye and running backs, the Patriots will start their seventh different offensive line combination in seven games. Based on practice this week, the Pats starting O-line could look like this: LT Trey Jacobs, LG Michael Jordan, C Ben Brown, RG Layden Robinson and RT Mike Onwenu. Jacobs switches sides after making two straight starts at right tackle, while Onwenu returns to right tackle with the kick to the outside.

Earlier this week, Coach Mayo praised rookie guard Layden Robinson. Robinson will return to the starting lineup after some difficulties after spending some time on the bench. But he has a bright future with a strong base and elite playmaking ability to move bodies in the run game.

“Layden (Robinson) is one of the hardest-working players on the team. He always shows tremendous effort and sometimes you hit a wall. He went through that wall and will play on Sunday. “He’s a tough player and I’m excited about his future,” Mayo said.

Finally, Maye's pass catchers remain the same as last week. Fellow rookie Javon Baker appeared on the injury report Friday with an illness, but Baker struggled to crack the game-day lineup when healthy, as did third-year WR Tyquan Thornton. Here will be Maye's main supporting cast:

WR – Douglas, Bourne, Polk, Boutte, Osborn
TE – Henry, Hooper, Bell
RB – Stevenson, Gibson, Hasty
OL – Jacobs, Jordan, Brown, Robinson, Onwenu

On defense, it's surprising that Sione Takitaki, a free agent, is inactive. Takitaki is still listed as questionable on the injury report due to his knee injury, so he's not at 100% yet. Takitaki missed most of training camp after undergoing knee surgery during the offseason. After coming off the physically unable to perform list, Takitaki played nine defensive snaps and 13 special teams snaps in his Pats debut last week.

Now Takitaki is inactive for a linebacker corps that has struggled recently. With captain Ja'Whaun Bentley out for the season, the Patriots are allowing over 166 rushing yards per game, including over 190 rush yards in the last two weeks. Coach Mayo hinted at some lineup changes that some expected would signal Takitaki could play a larger role. Instead, it will be a similar mix of Jahlani Tavai, Raekwon McMillan and Christian Elliss.

This week's matchup pits two underperforming units on the Patriots' defense against the Jaguars' offense. Despite having talent and a franchise quarterback, Jacksonville ranks 20th in offense DVOA this season while the Pats rank 29th in defense. One of these units will have a recovery day.

The Patriots held a fan party at the Greenwood Sports Pub in central London on Saturday evening. The meeting drew thousands of Pats fans from across Europe, with Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft appearing to cheer on the crowd. Although technically the away team, it is expected that there will be plenty of Patriots fans at Wembley Stadium screaming for a win. It should be a pro-Pats crowd.

New England and Jacksonville meet on Sunday in London at 9:30 a.m. ET at Wembley Stadium.