O-Zone Late Night, Week 7: Jaguars 32, Patriots 16

LONDON – That was necessary. Boy, was that necessary?

The Jaguars turned a difficult start into a convincing win on Sunday, defeating the New England Patriots 32-16 in front of 86,651 at Wembley Stadium for their second win in three games after an 0-4 start to the 2024 regular season .

This was necessary because the Jaguars spent the week answering questions about performance, fragility and culture – legitimate questions after a 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Sunday.

Jaguars players and coaches talked all week about practicing with vigor and refusing to give up despite a frustrating season. After trailing 10-0 on Sunday, the Jaguars scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 22-10 lead and were close to tying the game early in the second half against a recovering Patriots team (1-6). to win the game they lost for the sixth time in a row.

Sunday won't save the Jaguars' season. It doesn't answer all questions. But winning is much better than losing and the Jaguars needed what happened at Wembley on Sunday. Boy, did they.

Yes, we are officially not the worst team in the NFL.

That's full of sarcasm, which is understandable given the disappointing nature of the Jaguars' season so far – but perhaps unfair given the Jaguars' performance on Sunday. While the Jaguars have played poorly too often this season, the win over the Patriots was solid. It featured a strong second quarter and a very strong performance in the third and fourth quarters that could/should have secured the game. The Jaguars' defense also closed the game confidently in the fourth quarter. Maybe this is a basis for something cool in the future. Maybe not. But at least for one day it was good.

Yo, Grizz! So do we trade a defensive tackle to make room for our young defensive tackles and then deactivate our second-round defensive tackle? What????

Yes, that's pretty much what happened. In a way.

I like the teal flags and jerseys. Teal is always easy to see.

This was the much-hyped, sometimes sarcastic and often readable first email of the game. It wasn't particularly loud or sarcastic, but it was readable – and there was a lot of teal at historic Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Cool stuff.

Haney from Little Elm, TX

Wow, I can't believe they gave up an easy TD on the first drive. Does the defense practice during the week or just watch film?

This shouldn't be too surprising; The Jaguars have allowed way too many first downs this season. The defense practices and watches film every week.

I'm still waiting for this “attack defense” to attack.

The Jaguars didn't play as well defensively as they would have liked on Sunday. After the first two trips it played significantly better.

No. 4 in, it's a run. No. 2 in, it's a pass. “Kill, Kill” sounds to start running. What am I missing about super predictable crimes?

The Jaguars tend to run more with running back Tank Bigsby in the game and are sometimes more balanced when he isn't. This is the case with young running backs until they become more capable as receivers and pass blockers.

Duvalian Dramatic from Duval 904

The crowd was much louder for the Patriots defense than ours. Gotta love these home games…

The Patriots have indeed had great success and have been a franchise for more than six decades. They have a large, supportive fan base that travels well. But to say that the Patriots crowd was much louder than the Jaguars crowd on Sunday doesn't feel right. That's not what it sounded like from this author's perspective.

I feel like the Jaguars often win on the coin toss. Is that more the fault of the players or the coach?

In the NFL, it's always coaching.

Is this what rock bottom feels like or are we still falling?

This happened in the first quarter…

Is this what a rebirth looks like or is there still a lot to do?

…and that happened in the second quarter.

More teal please. And please tell Doug that the sight had a good run but he can't go back to it now.

If I see him on the plane, I'll mention it. I doubt I'll see him. His seat is cool. I envy it. I envy many things.

Michael from Orange Park, FL

Bigsby rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries on Sunday. This was the second 100-yard rushing game in the last three games and further evidence that the 2023 third-round pick is a very capable NFL running back. We thank Bigsby for getting through what was at times a very difficult rookie season. Good for him. Well deserved. Cool story.

Andrew from Mattoon, Illinois

Winning is cool. Fans like it.