SPORTS | Jaguars claim second win of the season

The Jaguars left London with a win and perhaps a better idea of ​​what kind of team they are after a 32-16 victory over the New England Patriots.

Tank Bigsby ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL start, and Trevor Lawrence completed 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, helping the Jaguars (2-5) earn their second win of the season. For now, questions about the future of the team’s football leadership will remain cold.

The first quarter was a repeat of some of the Jaguars’ most common problems. A porous defensive backfield allowed the Patriots’ rookie quarterback to march down New England and score a touchdown on the first drive. Unforced errors included three offside calls on the Jaguars defense, two on Josh Hines-Allen.

Something changed in the second quarter.

The Jaguars’ offense began pushing the ball down the field, including a 59-yard heave from Trevor Lawrence to Brian Thomas Jr. Meanwhile, the Jaguars’ defense began to figure it out. Jacksonville only allowed the Patriots 13 yards in the second quarter.

Then, after stopping New England on a Washington drive with just under two minutes left in the half, Parker Washington threw a punt at the 3-yard line and returned it all the way for a touchdown, the longest punt return in the History of the Jaguars. From 10:0 down to 22:10 after a 2-point conversion for Thomas.

It may have been the best quarter of football the Jaguars have played this season, certainly since the first half of the season opener.

The second half saw more from Bigsby, who carried the ball eight times in a 17-play drive, including a four-and-1 call that resulted in a turnover on downs. New England’s stop seemed to energize the Patriots’ offense, who pressed down and scored for the first time since taking a 10-point lead.

At one point in the second half, the Jaguars ran the ball on 17 consecutive plays on two drives. This all happened because Travis Etienne was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The victory should not be interpreted as an arrival of the Jaguars. A win against a team led by a rookie quarterback with one win on the season is expected. The win eliminated the possibility of major leadership changes for the Jaguars for another week.

There’s still a lot of work to be done as the Jaguars return to Jacksonville to prepare for a challenging stretch of the schedule. Jacksonville hosts Green Bay next Sunday before traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. Then the Vikings, Lions and Texans. The combined record of the Jaguars’ next five opponents over the weekend was 21-6. They are all capable of making the playoffs. If the Jags want to save the season now, they have to become the hottest team in football.