Sunday’s slate of Week 4 games features the first of five NFL international games when the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars travel to London, England, to play at Wembley Stadium.
In their last game, the Falcons suffered a 20-6 loss on the road against the Detroit Lions. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder didn’t throw a touchdown and had 201 passing yards against the stifling Lions’ defense. He got sacked seven times in the loss.
The seven sacks by the Lions were more than the Falcons allowed combined in their previous wins against the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.
The Falcons lost 62 yards on the seven sacks, giving the Falcons 139 net passing yards on Ridder’s 21 completions in 38 attempts. Ridder shouldered the blame for the loss rather than burying the offensive line.
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“I’m not worried about those guys up front,” Ridder told reporters after the loss against Detroit. “Those guys did a great job. I’ve got to get the ball out of my hands quicker and make better reads. Things have to move and happen fast, better out there. So, I wouldn’t put it on them, more so myself.”
The Falcons also only had 44 rushing yards, led by rookie Bijan Robinson’s 33 yards on 10 touches. The Lions held defending champion Kansas City to 21 points during the Week 1 win, showing their ability to stop any team. However, gaining less than 200 yards on offense is an area the Falcons must improve if they’re going to win football games.
The Jaguars enter the contest after Sunday’s 20-point loss against the Houston Texans. Jacksonville started the season with a road win against the Indianapolis Colts and dropped the next two at home against the Chiefs and Texans.
Expectations were high for the Jaguars after last season’s AFC South title and winning a playoff game. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence encouraged his teammates to remain urgent heading into Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
“We’re not doing everything the right way, or this wouldn’t be happening,” Lawrence told reporters after the Texans loss. “We need to have a heightened sense of attention to detail. There are too many bad plays in critical moments, in critical situations. We are not getting any momentum. We’re not complementing each other on either side of the ball, especially today. We’re leaving a lot out there.”
Lawrence threw an interception in the second half and expressed his displeasure with his play as the Jags sit with a 1-2 record.
“It’s a pretty bad feeling when you come in that locker room when you leave all that out there, and you play like you did today and as we did offensively last week,” Lawrence said. “There’s not much you can say to ease that over. We got to go out and play together.”
Jacksonville is 4-5 in games played in London and will play the Buffalo Bills there for a Week 5 game. Atlanta is 1-1 in London.
How to Watch Falcons vs. Jags
The Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars will play at 9:30 a.m. Sunday ET, so get your coffee and scones ready. ESPN+ will air the game with Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst) and Dan Orlovsky (analyst) calling the action. Also, there is a unique “Toy Story”-themed broadcast on Disney+.
Betting Info on Falcons vs. Jags
The Jaguars are a betting favorite by three points, according to Monday’s odds on BetMGM. The Over/Under is 43.5. A Falcons money line bet would pay $230 on a $100 bet with the odds at +130.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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