Main events
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 10:38, 3rd quarter
Los Angeles’ turn to get dirty. Kam Curl was penalized for defensive holding on Hunter. The Jags have 38 yards to go for a vital touchdown. Hunter then makes another catch for eight yards and on 3rd and 2 Lawrence sailed an easy layup over the head of Johnny Mundt. They did and Lawrence fired another fastball off the outstretched hand of Deami Brown. This poor start is already starting to hurt as Jaguars shouldn’t take these kinds of risks. However, Lawrence killed the drive with a missed bread-and-butter throw.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 11:39, 3rd quarter
Travis Hunter starts now. Lawrence finds the rookie for back-to-back 11-yard gains to move the Jags to midfield. Darius Williams then makes a pass interference tackle for the Rams for a moment first while pulling Washington’s head back while snapping the ball downfield.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 14:16, 3rd quarter
Matthew Stafford starts the Rams offense and has a three-and-out. Great job by the Jags defense to hold up their end of the bargain. He almost intercepted the ball as well, but the two defenders juggled the ball inches from the ground and failed to shoot it. Come on, Trevor, I want to believe it. Let’s get it.
In this period of calm we can take a look at the following early list:
There are a few decent ones, the standout for me being Vikings v Eagles. Can Philadelphia stop the slide?
Half the time! Jaguars 0-21 Rams
The Rams are content to sit in the lead and let the clock run. Trust is everything but they are confident that they are worth it. For Jacksonville, as Willie Shakespeare did not say, “The jaguar does not change his station.” It’s the same old, same old for Lawrence and his buddies. The errors gave Los Angeles great field position and limited the offense. The quarterback misses throws and when he makes them, his receivers let him down. Bad day in crime.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 1:28, 2nd quarter
Lawrence launched the ball too far from Hunter and the ball looked off the rookie’s glove for an incompletion on third-and-7. And it’s fourth down and we’re heading towards that now after pulling back previously. Dangerous thinking could result in the Jags giving the ball back to Stafford twice as the Rams receive the start of the second half.
Lawrence runs and runs and…short. Three yards short. The Rams get the ball back after two turnovers.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 2:00, 2nd quarter
Lawrence finds Thomas up the sideline for 24 yards and then keeps the chains moving with some nice mid-range work. The first trip to the Rams’ red zone and the Jaguars call the bluff on days two and six. Los Angeles was not fooled and Hunter’s scramble was stopped at the line of scrimmage. The third key is coming.
Jaguars 0-21 Rams 3:34, 2nd quarter
Lawrence comes out and throws a fast shot wide straight into the dirt. strange. Another foul ensues when Washington goes wide out of bounds to negate a much-improved long pass. Lawrence calls timeout on third and long.
In that downtime, Adams snatched a pair of TDs that make me jealous that Nacua is sitting on my fantasy bench this week. Does anyone have any starter/seating suggestions they’d like to throw my way? I promise I’ll win your match this week.
Landing! Jaguars 0-21 Rams 4:37, 2nd quarter
If you make a mistake at least try to learn from it. The Jaguars commit another needless pass interference penalty on an incomplete pass from Stafford for moving them to midfield. Adams then moves the ball 16 yards into the red zone and Colby Parkinson believes he has scored until he is politely told he was on the one-yard line. Adams makes an amazing one-handed catch for a one-yard touchdown. Stafford is on fire: 15/20, 127 yards, 3 TDs.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 7:11, 2nd quarter
It’s not good! The drive starts off well as Lawrence shakes off some rust. He scans the field and finds Tim Patrick for a 22-yard strike. The Jags march into Rams territory. Landing will be very useful here. And when I finished writing, Lawrence threw a perfect fastball on third and 2 to his star player, Brian Thomas. The ball passes directly through his hands. Kicker Cam Little goes 50 yards and misses. Thomas will kick 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 and comes out in tight coverage from the Jags defensive back. And on the bet, more bad luck. Parker Washington brought it back for TOUCHDOWN but an illegal block above the waist by Jarian Jones negated it. Critics say the decision is bad because the block does not affect play. I’m not sure I agreed but then Suh said ‘if you play football you know it’ so I was put in my place straight away. Definitely a bad call. Boo refs, boo.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 11:18, 2nd quarter
The third sack (already) rocks Lawrence to the turf and a failed run puts the ball back in Lawrence’s hands on third-and-13. The QB and his young receiver Hunter are not on the same page even though the ball is sailing by him. Punt.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 12:38, 2nd quarter
Jacksonville smartly turns to the run and gets to midfield with Travis Etienne moving wide. Los Angeles responds and then stops to set up fourth-and-1. The Jags take a run and Parker Washington runs for three yards on a neat little end around the play.
Jaguars 0-14 Rams 1:38, 1st quarter
The tone has just been set for the Rams defense. They’re here to bully Trevor Lawrence. Linebacker Byron Young chases a QB out of the pocket and pushes him out of bounds with a level of needless aggression that verges on comedy.
Landing! Jaguars 0-14 Rams 1:51, 1st quarter
Boom! Xavier Smith marks the 7th different receiver Stafford has actually hit today. A short run from Blake Corum then sets up the first goal. Adams then beats his man on the goal line, Stafford throws it up and the veteran scores for the score. It’s very easy for Jacksonville’s defense to really struggle. What an amazing start for the Rams.
Jaguars 0-7 Rams 3:25, 1st quarter
The Rams were back in Jaguars territory in the blink of an eye thanks to a 26-yard pass interference penalty and a 23-yard strike to end Colby Parkinson. Adams then makes his first catch of the day to get Los Angeles back into the red zone on the 15-yard line.
Jaguars 0-7 Rams 4:53, 1st quarter
Ndamukong Soh, in the Sky Sports studio, is clearly an Arsenal fan. You had a little bit of Patrick Vieira about him, didn’t you?
Jaguars 0-7 Rams 5:12, 1st quarter
The offensive attack pushes the Jaguars back 10 yards, a tough start to their response. Hard hit by Coby Turner at the line of scrimmage on third-and-14 and Lawrence beats Travis Hunter. Three and out again. A 1-minute, 27-second drive followed by a 1-minute, 20-second effort is sure to keep the Rams’ players fresh.
Landing! Jaguars 0-7 Rams 7:01, 1st quarter
No nakoa, no problem. Stafford uses five different receivers on the first drive that ends with rookie Konata Mumpfield (who?) getting a five-yard score. This is only his second catch of his young career. Excellent job of finishing it under pressure after taking a lead on fourth and third.
Jaguars 0-0 Rams 7:01, 1st quarter
The Rams are there and in Nacua’s absence Davante Adams was targeted but was taken down on the opening play. Tight end Tyler Higbee finds a first down on an easy short pass from Stafford’s right. A great combination of running and passing in the rain finds another pair of first downs with tight ends. Higbee in particular keeps this drive moving with a few nice plays using what looks more like a bar of soap than a ball. And here we are, McVay doesn’t trust his nudge. Fourth-and-3 on the 16-yard line and the Rams go for it. And they got that thanks to running back Kyren Williams making the catch.
Jaguars 0-0 Rams 14:03, 1st quarter
Here we are! Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offense takes the field for the opening drive. First play and verse sacks the QB. I told you the pass rush was good. Not the start Jacksonville was looking for. Three and out. Punt.
Preamble
Hello and welcome football fans, Week 7 of the NFL is upon us and it brings with it that rarest of things: a matchup between two teams (two teams!) with winning records in London! The 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars host the 4-2 LA Rams at their home away from home at Wembley. This is a huge cause for celebration, as at 2.30pm in the UK and first thing in the morning for fans in LA at 6.30am, we have the chance to conclude this year’s London series with crackers.
Only once before has the English capital been graced with a matchup between two “good” teams when the Giants and Packers, both 3-1, came to celebrate in 2022. Yes, it only took 15 years of slowing down to finally get their blessing in Daniel Jones’ 27-22 win over Aaron Rodgers with a strong second-half comeback after trailing 17-3.
The G-men will still make the playoffs, will the Rams or Jaguars head in that direction? Both are in good standing with Los Angeles in a three-way tie atop the NFC West and Jacksonville one game back of Jones’ Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.
It’s a little early to start predicting the postseason, but let’s take a look at today’s game. The big team news is that the Rams are missing wide receiver great Puka Nakoa and the Jaguars are missing star linebacker Devin Lloyd. On the pitch, the story so far for both teams has been one of success let down by inconsistency. For Los Angeles, the kicking game has been an issue while the offense, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, has been one of the most productive in terms of yards and pass rate across the league but ranks 24th in red zone efficiency as it scores touchdowns just 50% of the time they enter the 20-yard line. Watch out for head coach Sean McVay, who is digging into his box of tricks to give the Jaguars plenty of different looks as the Rams aim to break the 30-point mark for the first time this season (second if you count the Giants).
In terms of defense, Los Angeles is more solid and has not allowed teams to score a single goal twice this season. The guys the Jaguars need to be wary of are the best duo in football, Jared Fiers and Braden Fisk. The game can be won or lost by how well Jacksonville protects quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Or they could try to get the running game going again to take the pressure off him after his struggles against the Seahawks. Jags fans are hoping that Lawrence, who took down the Chiefs today, will show up.