LONDON – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars’ 32-16 victory over the New England Patriots in a 2024 Week 7 game at Wembley Stadium in London Sunday

John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…

1. Just what they wanted – and needed. The Jaguars needed something good to happen Sunday – and that happened in the form of an impressive victory that became one-sided through the middle quarters. The cynics among us may note that a struggling, rebuilding Patriots team played like a struggling, rebuilding team Sunday, but you play who your schedule says you play – and the Jaguars deserve credit for doing what was needed to win Sunday. Credit the Jaguars for this, too: After a listless start that resulted in a 10-0 Patriots lead early in the second quarter, they turned in one of their strongest stretches of the season. Considering the noise about quitting, culture and fragility around the Jaguars this past week, Sunday's second quarter provided ample opportunity for a team to allow its season to slide. The Jaguars absolutely did not allow that to happen "This a time of adversity and adversity shows great character," Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby said. "It shows who you can be and who you are. Today showed what this team can be when our backs are against the wall and we're going through something. Let's keep going." Considering the record and the circumstances around the team this week, playing big Sunday was really important. The Jaguars did just that.
2. BTJ really good. If there has been a bright spot for the Jaguars through seven games, it has been the emergence of wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. as a go-to player – and that emergence continued Sunday. Thomas, the No. 23 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, has made the key plays on key Jaguars drives as often as not this season – and that trend continued Sunday. His six-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Trevor Lawrence cut the Patriots' lead to 10-7, and his 58-yard reception from Lawrence on the ensuing possession set up a one-yard run by Bigsby that gave the Jaguars their first lead. After second-year wide receiver Parker Washington's 96-yard punt return shortly after the two-minute warning, Lawrence found Thomas in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion and a 22-10 lead. The Jaguars' season hasn't been what they wanted. But Thomas has been everything they imagined – and more. "Each week, he just keeps getting better and better," Head Coach Doug Pederson said of Thomas. "He and Trevor have a really good connection going. There's something we have to continue. We have to continue to find ways to scheme him open. I thought [offensive coordinator] Press Taylor did a nice job his week doing that."

Brian Sexton, Jaguars Senior Correspondent…

1. This time they bounced. The team that broke last week when it hit the turf against the Chicago Bears bounced off the field at Wembley and bounced back in a big way. If we wondered about the fragility of Lawrence and Co., they answered with a resounding second quarter rebound against the Patriots. They looked listless at the end of the first quarter with 25 yards and five offensive plays while making Patriots quarterback Drake Maye look more like Tom Brady than a rookie in his first start. But a 24-yard completion from Lawrence to wide receiver Christian Kirk set up a sharp touchdown pass to Thomas to get the Jags to within three. Then a gorgeous 58-yard rainbow of a pass to Thomas set up a Bigsby run, and they followed that with a bang when Washington went 96 yards for the longest punt return touchdown in franchise history – and the Jags were in control after 22 unanswered points. They certainly proved they could battle back and not break.
2. That fourth down in the fourth quarter was a huge miss. You must be able to put teams away and that's exactly what the Jaguars were doing in the fourth quarter. They were about to finish off a 17-play, 84-yard drive that ate up the end of the third quarter and almost a third of the fourth – and they came away with zero points. A field-goal attempt there pays off the drive, puts the Patriots down 18 points and lets them know they're all but done. Instead, the Patriots stopped Bigsby on fourth-and-1, then Maye hit tight end Hunter Henry for 32 yards. Maye then found Kayshon Boutte for 32 yards and then found wide receiver K.J. Osborn for a 22-yard touchdown. So, the Patriots scored in less than three minutes to pull within nine points. If you can't convert third-and-1, then be content to take the points and put your team in a stronger position to close the game. That's where football instincts have to trump analytics.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars Team Reporter/Producer ...

1. We never make it look easy. After scoring 25 unanswered points, the Jaguars rolled into the fourth quarter with a nifty 25-10 lead. However, some interesting play-calling bit them again. Pederson electing to go for it on fourth down in the red zone ended up being a huge swing. Bigsby was stopped short of the line to gain and then the Patriots drove the field for a touchdown. Fortunately, New England was unsuccessful on a two-point conversion attempt, so the Jags were able to maintain a two-possession lead and eventually put the game out of reach in the final minutes. It wasn't a pretty win, but beggars can't be choosers.
2. After a month of poor performances by the Jaguars defense, we saw some significant changes on Sunday Personnel changes included trading defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris to Seattle earlier in the week. Also on the first drive, Jacksonville used rookie Jarrian Jones in the nickel corner role and Darnell Savage moved to safety, leaving Antonio Johnson on the bench. We also saw some stylistic changes as defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen utilized the blitz significantly more than we've seen so far this year. That strategy started less than ideally, when Jacksonville's blitz left defensive end Josh Hines-Allen alone on former Jags running back Ja'Mycal Hasty in the flat. Hasty had no problem eluding Hines-Allen and finding his way to the game's first touchdown. After letting up a touchdown and field goal the Jaguars defense was able to manage a dysfunctional Patriots offense. Interested to see what changes will stick for next week's game against the Green Bay Packers.