Can London Turn the Jaguars Season Around For a Second Time?

The Jacksonville Jaguars went on a 7-1 run after departing for London last season. Can they repeat in 2024?

Oct 5, 2024; London, United Kingdom; A graphic featuring images of Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In past Jacksonville Jaguars locker rooms, the annual trip to London was sometimes seen as a chore.

Something you may not want to do, but something you know you have to do.

Sometimes it came at the right time in the season. Sometimes it didn't.

But in 2023, something clicked for the Jaguars when they went wheels up and departed for their annual London series. Now, the Jaguars need to hope that it happens again.

The Jaguars weren't quite in the dire situation they are in now when they left for London last year, but the team was facing mounting criticism. Last year, the Jaguars were 1-2 before their London series and were coming off brutal back-to-back home losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. There was plenty of noise about the offense and defense not meeting expectations.

Sound familiar?

This time around the Jaguars are leaving for London after a 1-4 start, but the theory is the name. The Jaguars won five straight games and went 7-1 in the following eight games after their two-game London series last year.

Can they do it again? If they want to save their season, they will have to. It will need to start in their series against the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots, each of whom will be starting rookie quarterbacks in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

But even winning those two games will have the Jaguars at 3-4. They will need to go on a run after that, too, and they have a tough schedule against the NFC North and the Philadelphia Eagles in their first four games back stateside.

The trip to London helped galvanize a wounded Jaguars team and helped them go on an impressive winning streak before their late-season collapse. There are no distractions, nowhere to turn to that isn't team-related. It is truly nothing but football.

The primary difference this year is whether the Jaguars routine may be thrown off or not. The Jaguars normally leave for London on Thursday of game week, but the Jaguars will have to keep tabs on Hurricane Milton and its impact on Florida throughout the week.

“No, we’re still right now, still on schedule to leave Thursday night or Thursday afternoon, evening whatever it is, 5:30, I think. We're going to monitor it and where it hits and how it comes this way, but as of right now, everything's still normal," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said this week.

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