The Jacksonville Jaguars have torpedoed to a 1-4 start to begin the season, causing angst and restlessness in Duval County.
Head coach Doug Pederson’s seat is starting to get warmer and warmer, and all of a sudden, Trevor Lawrence, the sure-fire franchise quarterback, seems to be providing more problems than solutions.
Pederson and Lawrence must find a way to get everyone on the same page if they want to turn their season around
It’s not pretty in Jacksonville at the moment, but a certain Jaguars legend thinks this team is in prime position to go on a big run after finally capturing that elusive first win of the season.
Former Jaguars All-Pro Pro-Bowler running back, Maurice Jones Drew, spoke exclusively with talkSPORT, as he helped coach his 16-year-old son, Duece, and the De La Salle Spartans to a 31-9 victory over the NFL Academy at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
MJD has a message to Jags fans. Exhale.
“They’ve been close,” Jones-Drew said. “The Jags have been close. That’s the biggest thing. They’ve been super close.” “
“Getting that first win has been tough. Right? And that’s always been the thing. You gotta get that first win.
“Once you get that first win, it’s kind of like the monkey is off your back a little bit. They’ve been close in some games. They had the blowout against the Buffalo Bill, but other than that, they’re a team that’s been a play or two away.”
In a parity rich competition like the National Football League, the difference between 1-4 versus 4-1 is a play or two.
Jones-Drew is right in the fact that they have been very close.
Outside of the blowout against Buffalo, their other three losses have been by a combined 12 points.
After getting that first win against their division rival, in the Indianapolis Colts, Jones-Drew doesn’t see why this team can’t go on a run.
Lawrence, taken with the first pick in the 2021 draft, has seen his play decline going back to the end of last season (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
And he believes being out in London, is where they can really start to turn it around, especially riding the momentum off their first win.
“They were able to make that play against the Colts, which is awesome,” Jones-Drew said. “That type of effort and energy is what’s needed to keep winning.
“When they come to London, they’re able to just go out and play. And after they play a couple of games here in London, they kind of get on a run.
“So hopefully it happens again this year that they’re able to go out and get on a run.”
Jacksonville has won three out of its last four games in London going back to 2021, including two wins across the pond last season.
Lawrence will be facing off against fellow number one draft pick in Caleb Williams, as he looks to capture a third straight victory for the Chicago Bears.
As far as traveling to England to play in an NFL game, MJD shrugged and laughed when asked if there were certain differences and challenges that playing in London brings.
“There really isn’t much,” Jones-Drew said. “I mean, you travel across the country, right? You travel across the country, which we all have kind of done before.
“I’ve flown from Florida to California. It’s essentially the same from the East coast to here. Now, if you’re coming from the West coast, that’s a little bit different, I get that, but this is the NFL.
“They have everything. It’s easy. I don’ t think it’s hard to come over here and play. I actually believe the NFL is going to play more games here as the years go on.”
Jones-Drew played twice in London over the course of his nine-year career, so he is qualified to speak on the matter.
And as a Jaguars legend, he is also qualified when to say his team is going to go on a run, and according to MJD, that run starts now.
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