Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Darious Williams (31) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Published on October 1, 2023 at 9:17 pm
Jacksonville Today seeks to include a diverse set of perspectives that add context or unique insight to the news of the day. Regular opinion columnists are independent contractors who are not involved in news decisions. Want to submit your own column on a matter of public interest? Email pitches to jessica@jaxtoday.org.
It wasn’t a resounding win, but it was a win.
That’s the first thing to note about the Jaguars’ 23-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in London on Sunday.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Coming into the game, the Jaguars were struggling on the offensive line and with the pass rush, they were committing too many unforced errors, were out of rhythm on offense, had injury issues, and seemed to lack focus and confidence as the play calling was uneven as they struggled on third down and in the red zone.
During parts of Sunday’s game, the Jaguars showed they are improving in some of those areas.
While the offensive line didn’t dominate the Falcons’ defensive front, the Jaguars’ pass rush found its footing. Josh Allen totaled three sacks, giving him six on the season. Travon Walker was also credited with a sack. The pressure the Jaguars created also resulted in a pair of interceptions by the defense. That’s a step in the right direction, even if it came against a struggling quarterback and an offense coming off a shutout loss last week.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The unforced errors continued, although not in as great a frequency as we saw last week.
Still, the offense didn’t sustain any kind of rhythm. The only offensive touchdown was scored when Trevor Lawrence avoided a rushing Falcons’ player and found Calvin Ridley in the endzone for a first-half touchdown.
Aside from that drive, the offense managed just three field goal drives. That won’t likely be enough next week when the Jaguars face the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the second leg of the London trip.
As for the injuries, the Jaguars are still dealing with them. Kick returner Jamal Agnew and linebacker Devin Lloyd both missed the game. Next week the Jaguars will get Cam Robinson back on the offensive line. Will that make a difference? How Doug Pederson will handle re-inserting Robinson into the lineup is going to be interesting, considering his natural position of left tackle is where Walker Little has been the best lineman on the team this season.
A championship team would have put the Falcons away and not given them a chance to come back. The Jaguars aren’t there yet. The good news is they have 13 more games to show that mettle before the playoffs. At 2-2, the Jaguars can still consider themselves contenders, and a win next Sunday against Buffalo would make a significant statement for their season.
Lead image: Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Darious Williams (31) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. | AP Photo, Kirsty Wigglesworth
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.
