THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
The aftermath of the first London game in 2024 saw New York Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh lose his job. A shock decision for a team that, although trying to find its real identity, still had a chance to correct its lackluster start to the season. The question now is, could London be the catalyst for franchise owners as the Jacksonville Jaguars are also in a state of flux, especially as they have been quoted as having assembled their best roster for years.
A demoralizing 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears this past Sunday at Tottenham has renewed doubts over Jags coach Doug Pederson's future. A future that might not see him survive the flight home from London after next Sunday's game at the Jaguars' second home, Wembley Stadium. Now sitting at 1-5, after gaining their first win of the season last week, they could not back it up against a Bears side that was well-drilled and far better prepared.
I feel for the players and the coaches. We work extremely too hard to be in this position. I feel like the guys, they don't quit. They keep fighting. We have to figure out how to just get out of our way and just play football. I say that, and it sounds easy, but it's tough. It's a tough game to play. We didn't expect to be here in this spot, and, hey, now we have to find a way to get out of it.
A downbeat Pederson said after the game, and when pushed about next week being a must-win, he said. I think so. I would say everything here on out, quite frankly. If we want to get back to playing the type of football we know we can play, you're going to have to win a lot of games moving forward. I would say that, yeah, these games moving forward are just that.
Things seemed to be going well early on, with under-pressure quarterback Trevor Lawrence making some good choices as the Jags moved down the field but had to settle for a field goal to open the scoring. We ended up getting a field goal, and it's 3-0 us. You would love to score, but it's a long game. I think as a team we can't be so fragile. It's like it's not going to go perfect every week. Most weeks aren't going to go perfect. You're going to have to sometimes dig yourself out of a hole. We got down in the second quarter and had an opportunity to come out of halftime and didn't take advantage of it.
Lawrence told the press. The hole he spoke of was when Chicago scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to go up 14-3 at the interval.
Once again Tottenham didn't disappoint in terms of a vibrant crowd that, even though the game was fairly one-sided, were kept entertained. One thing that is starting to change is the amount of fans rooting for one particular team, making a home game really have that authenticity. It wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that Chicago fans outnumbered the Jags by 3 to 1, with the neutrals decked out in the 30 other NFL teams' colors and the occasional domestic jersey. Of course, it helps when the more supported team gets ahead and stays there. Something that the Bears head coach noted.
Matt Eberflus has his Chicago team at a healthy 4-2 now, ahead of their bye week. I want to thank the fans. You know, the fans were great all week. We had a big group out there in the stadium. So, my hat's off to them. Bears fans always travel well, and that was proven again today. It's always a big impact. Our fans at home in Chicago do a great job of that and are loud and always into the game and impact. It's very difficult for the other team.
The more the game went on, the more rookie and number one draft pick Caleb Williams grew into the game. So much so that he ended up throwing four touchdowns as well as scrambling for 56 yards on improvised plays. I think throughout this whole process of these past couple games we've had, I think I've been seeing it well. That starts throughout the whole week watching film, getting there in practice, talking to the coaches, players and things like that. So, I think seeing it well. I think the comfort level of just like I've talked about before, getting back to playing football and where I need to be, eyes need to be if I need to hold a safety if I need to just hang on a route. So just getting back comfortable of just having that feel for the game.
His first two scores went to the tight end Cole Kmet, who also showed versatility by doubling up as long snapper when the starter went down hurt. The agility of Kmet and his strength were evident on his first catch and run when he lunged to the goal line. Williams was also able to call upon veteran Keenan Allen for his first two scores of the season; the former Los Angeles Charger heaped praise on his quarterback after: When he's in a groove like that and all the balls are catchable, then it's pretty easy to play receiver. I think just his growth, just week-in, week-out, he gets better. You know, obviously when we pick up the tempo, he's a lot more comfortable. He's able to see things faster and you know, the defense can't do all the moving around and stuff. This benefits us.
The icing on the Bears cake was a short run from D'Andre Swift, who topped all running backs with 91 yards in total on the ground. A late touchdown for the Jags, when Lawrence found Gabe Davis after a decent drive was just a consolation.
The focus now goes on to Wembley next Sunday, for the last of this year's games in London and possibly the last of Pederson's time as coach of the Jags. It would be harsh to fire the man between games abroad, and the decision may have already been made by the Jacksonville hierarchy win or lose against the New England Patriots in six days. For now though the coach remains focused on the week ahead: I think it's huge for us to be here as a football team, to be around each other, support each other, keep encouraging each other. There's nowhere for us to go, you know? We're at the hotel, and we see each other every day. We have to support each other and keep picking each other up.
