It wasn’t an explosive day for the Jacksonville Jaguars offense in London, but the team did more than enough to handily defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-7.
Jacksonville’s offense avoided the mistakes that bogged it down in the last couple weeks as the Falcons offense struggled to avoid mistakes of its own.
Buy Jaguars TicketsWhile the Jaguars will still be looking to improve on the offensive side of the football, the team finally has some much needed momentum and is back in the win column.
Here’s how it all went down in the Jaguars’ 16-point win at Wembley Stadium:
Jaguars MVP of the game: OLB Josh Allen
Trevor Lawrence had a nice game, but it was the defense that got the win. Leading the way was Josh Allen, who was a consistent thorn in Desmond Ridder’s side, finishing the game with three sacks and a forced fumble. He now has six sacks on the year.
Falcons MVP of the game: RB Bijan Robinson
FALCONS RB BIJAN ROBINSON WITH ONE HAND pic.twitter.com/F5d2sRKlpN
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) October 1, 2023
It was pretty obvious what did and didn’t work well for the Falcons offense for most of Sunday. Desmond Ridder throwing the ball didn’t work out too well, but handing it off to Robinson sure did.
The rookie running back finished with 105 rushing yards on 14 carries (7.5 per attempt) and 32 receiving yards.
Jaguars play of the game: Darious Williams' 61-yard pick six
That's a Darious Williams PICK-6! @Jaguars#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/iptA26RX1i— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
The Jaguars got out to a good start in the first half, building a 10-point lead with an early touchdown and a 56-yard field goal from Brandon McManus. But a comfortable lead turned to a borderline insurmountable one against a sluggish Falcons offense when cornerback Darious Williams jumped in front of a Desmond Ridder pass and took it to the house.
Here’s what the game-changing play looked like in Andy’s room:
Chaos in Andy's room… PICK-6! @AtlantaFalcons
📺: ESPN+/Disney+ pic.twitter.com/N6ezBymFcx
— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
It was over when ... Tre Herndon III forced Drake London out on 4th down
The Falcons threatened to cut the Jaguars’ lead down to one score when they got into the red zone in the middle of the fourth quarter. But Jacksonville’s defense stepped up with its back against the wall and got a turnover on downs.
The fourth down stop came when cornerback Tre Herndon III forced Drake London out of the back of the end zone before the receiver could get his feet down for another touchdown.
Stat that says it all: Jaguars +3 turnover margin
Back-to-back interceptions for the @Jaguars defense!#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/4YlMMChvS1— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
The Jaguars offense didn’t shoot itself in the foot Sunday and the defense took advantage of the Falcons’ inexperience. On back-to-back plays late in the first half, the Jaguars came down with interceptions to take a significant lead early. Then with less than two minutes left, Josh Allen put the game on ice with a strip sack.
What's next?
The Jaguars will stay in London for the week and play the Buffalo Bills in a Week 5 “road” game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 2-1 Bills will host the 3-0 Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
