Jacksonville’s defense built a reputation for being fierce, but they have flopped in recent weeks (photo credit: Jacksonville Jaguars).
Eagles and Jaguars clash in critical Week Eight clash in London
By Ryan Conway
When the NFL announced it’s latest slate of games for the NFL International Series, many circled the third installment as the best. After all, the match features the current Super Bowl champions and a Jaguars team which went all the way to the AFC title game and had a start-studded defense.
Fast-forward to Week Eight of the current campaign and the picture is starkly different. Both clubs are struggling, with Jacksonville’s problems so mounting that they benched starting quarterback Blake Bortles in the second half of their 20-7 defeat by the Houston Texans.
Back-to-back blowout losses have put the team under a microscope. While Bortles was withdrawn for his sub-par showings the defense has been just as culpable. Ranked second in total defense in 2017, the drop off has been remarkable. A struggling Dallas Cowboys offense put 40 points on a defense many believed can become a dominant force for years to come.
The result was such a shock it prompted All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to answer a string of questions regarding the collapse with “I don’t know”. The points total was halved against the Texans, but they are still papering over major cracks.
Philadelphia are experiencing turmoil of their own.
The defending champions entered the fourth quarter of their clash against the Carolina Panthers with a 17 point lead. Cam Newton’s offense was held to 83 yards in the first half. The Eagles lost the game 21-17, prompting an inquest.
Head Coach Doug Pederson was in a philosophical mood in the immediate aftermath,
“They just made more plays [in the fourth quarter],” Said the former Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator, “Same people were out there. They just made more plays than we did. Schematically nothing changed.”
To add injury to insult, Pederson learned that he will be without second-year pass rusher Derek Barnett for the remained of the season following a shoulder injury.
The ‘next man up’ mentality was part of what propelled the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl triumph in February – but to repeat that feat is a tall order. With Jay Ajayi, Mack Hollins, Timmy Jernigan, Rodney McLeod, Richard Rodgers and Mike Wallace – to name a few – already on injured reserve then Pederson will be forced to dig deep into his roster.
Both squads head into their London clash at 3-4. Not a disaster, but not where both sides expected to be entering the half way mark of the season. Extra pressure could be on Jacksonville if the Texans knock off the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football and move to 5-3 in the AFC South.
The situation is not helped by the QB controversy surrounding the Florida-based organisation. Bortles was announced as the starter with Head Coach Doug Marrone telling reporters, “I believe this gives us the best opportunity to win.”
A defeat for the Eagles would see them slip to 3-5 and with the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams and a pair of games against NFC East leader Washington Redskins still to come, their precarious position is not to be envied.
A team will be leaving London with a .500 record (presuming there isn’t a tie which is in vogue in the NFL this season).
With the adversity both teams have faced in the first half of their respective seasons, to enter the back half of it 4-4 would be a small victory and a platform to build on down the stretch. A defeat could all but spell the end of one team’s playoff hopes.
