Jaguars fight back to beat Patriots at Wembley

Parker Washington's punt return made it three touchdowns for the Jaguars in less than eight minutes of game time

The Jacksonville Jaguars came from behind to ease the pressure on under-fire coach Doug Pederson with a 32-16 win over the New England Patriots in London.

The Jaguars came into the game at Wembley with a 1-5 record after suffering a dismal defeat across town at Tottenham last Sunday.

The Patriots were also 1-5 and a record London crowd of 86,651 watched the six-time Super Bowl winners race into a 10-0 lead in the last of this season's three NFL games in the UK.

But quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the Jags to a morale-boosting fightback, with touchdowns by Brian Thomas Jr and Tank Bigsby putting them in front.

Parker Washington then scored a stunning 96-yard punt return less than two minutes before half-time and the Jags added a two-point conversion to give themselves a 22-10 lead.

The Patriots are in the midst of a major rebuild after legendary coach Bill Belichick left at the end of last season, and scored their second touchdown in the fourth quarter.

But Bigsby ran in his second score at the death to ensure the Jags will return to the US in high spirits, with both Pederson and Lawrence saying they "needed to win".

"We needed to know what winning felt like again," said coach Pederson.

"We've worked hard these last 10 days and it's a nice way to finish this trip. Now we've got to carry this back and do it again."

Lawrence shows class after Jags' poor start

The Jaguars have played in each London series since 2013 and this is the second year running they have played two games in the UK capital.

Last year they won both to spark a five-game winning streak, but last week’s return to London did not provide the same boost as Lawrence was upstaged by this year’s number one draft pick, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

This week Lawrence, 25, faced the man selected third in the 2024 draft, with Drake Maye making only his second NFL start for the Patriots.

And this time Lawrence came out on top, showing why he was considered a generational talent when he was the number one draft pick in 2021.

After the Patriots scored on their opening two possessions, Lawrence made a 24-yard pass down the middle to Christian Kirk before finding Thomas Jr to cap a 68-yard drive.

Lawrence earned a five-year contract extension worth $275m (£216m) in the off-season and he showcased his arm strength by passing long towards Thomas Jr, who plucked it out of the air for a 58-yard reception, and Bigsby punched the ball in to round off an 82-yard drive.

After forcing the Pats to punt, Washington then burst through the middle and streaked past the last defender down the sideline to claim a thrilling score and put the Jags in charge.

They opted against going for a field goal after a mammoth 11-minute drive during the second half.

But Bigsby’s late touchdown meant he finished with 118 rushing yards from 26 carries, and leaves the Jags hoping to get back into play-off contention after a late-season collapse meant they missed out last term.

Washington's touchdown was the longest in an international game, plus the first on special teams, and he celebrated by falling into the end zone

Once-mighty Patriots look set for difficult season

The Patriots have played in Mexico and Germany over the last seven years but this was their first game in London since 2012, when Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes in a 45-7 rout of the St Louis Rams.

The Patriots have since enjoyed three Super Bowl wins but the franchise is now very much in transition, with first Brady and now coach Belichick having moved on.

Drake Maye is the latest quarterback that New England fans hope can become Brady’s long-term successor and although the Pats lost on his first NFL start last week, he impressed by throwing three touchdown passes.

The 22-year-old rookie looked comfortable as he led his team to a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, capped by a 16-yard pass to JaMycal Hasty.

The Pats added a field goal on their next drive but after that encouraging start, they went three-and-out on their other three possessions before half-time.

Although Maye registered another touchdown pass late on to KJ Osborn, they never looked like avoiding a sixth straight defeat.

Their offence only had 38 rushing yards compared to Jacksonville's 171, while New England's defence failed to register a single sack or quarterback hit.

Having enjoyed almost two decades of dominance, the Patriots now look set for a difficult season as new coach Jerod Mayo aims to lead them into a new era.

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