• WHERE: Wembley Stadium (London)
• WHEN: 9:30am ET | NFL Network, NFL+

After three weeks in Great Britain, the final London game of the 2024 season begins Sunday morning, when the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) host the New England Patriots (1-5) at Wembley Stadium in a matchup between a pair of teams that desperately need a win.

The Patriots’ season, expected to be a rebuilding year under new head coach Jerod Mayo, started with a win over the Bengals, but the team has since lost five straight. Looking for a change, Week 6 against the Houston Texans featured the long-awaited first start of the 2024 No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye. Although his debut ended in a 41-21 defeat, it marked the opening of a new era for New England heading to London.

As for the Jaguars, they started the season 0-4 before getting their first win of 2024 in a thriller against the Colts. But when they traveled to London last week for the first of their back-to-back international matches, they were unable to build on that win, instead being blown away by the Bears, 35-16. Now they remain in Britain for a second week in a row, amid questions about whether changes are on the horizon if things continue on this path.

It may be a battle between teams at the bottom of the AFC standings, but there will be no shortage of storylines or motivation on either side of this early morning match. Both teams are arguably faced with a must-win situation, but only one team will come out on top and take home a W after their international trip.

Here are three things to watch for when the Patriots and Jaguars face off Sunday in London on NFL Network and NFL+:

1) Drake Maye is looking for his first NFL win. Week 6 gave the Patriots a taste of what’s possible with Maye at quarterback, despite what the score might have shown. But the next step is for him to win a competition, which involves overcoming two major obstacles. While Maye was able to build a relationship with his wide receivers by throwing three touchdown passes to three different players, he struggled taking care of the ball, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble on a sack. The Jaguars defense has struggled in the passing game, ranking last in yards per play allowed, and has also had just one interception thus far, so Maye won’t want to give them any extra help. The other area of ​​concern is New England’s offensive line, which has shuffled the starting five every week thus far and failed to find success in any iteration. They rank second to last in sacks allowed (23), and Maye was taken down four times last week, hitting his knee. The Jacksonville pass rush, which has 14 sacks in six games, wanted to get a star Josh Hines-Allen (2.5 bags) go alongside Travon Walker (five sacks), so again, this is a battle that could make the difference in how Maye’s second effort turns out.

2) Jaguars need to stop beating themselves. Jacksonville entered this season in win-now mode and believed it had the talent to do so. That hasn’t happened yet, as the Jaguars’ statistical numbers are near the bottom of the league on both sides of the ball, and their record reflects that. The biggest problem for Jacksonville so far has been costly mistakes (they are tied for third in penalties with 47) and difficulty stepping up in key moments, as evidenced by four one-score games (three losses) in the first match. five weeks. And last week against the Bears, the Jaguars scored first and hung around early, but a mix of penalties, drops, turnovers and big plays sent the game spiraling out of control, with the offense and defense sharing responsibility for the loss . To avoid being completely out of contention, the Jaguars will see an advantageous matchup this week against the Patriots, who have also endured their fair share of battles. New England ranks 31st in points scored and 32nd in passing yards and will start a rookie at QB, giving Jacksonville’s struggling defense a solid matchup for a hopeful turnaround. And the Pats’ defense, despite having rising stars Christian González And Keion Whiteis in the bottom third of the league in yards allowed and gave up 41 points last week, potentially a golden opportunity for Trevor Lawrence to really break out. If self-inflicted mistakes lead to another loss in what may be the Jaguars’ most favorable game yet, this game could lead to a reckoning for this team.

3) Matchup in the ground game can be crucial. With both offenses coming into the matchup with notable issues in the passing game, how much each side controls the ball – and who is healthy – could be a key component in determining the winner. The Jaguars rank 19th in rush yards per game, with the tandem of Travis Etienne And Tank Bigsby takes on the majority of the tasks. This combination was good, if not great, through the first five weeks, averaging 126.2 yards per game. But nothing got going against the Bears, as the team finished with 68 yards on the ground and not a single individual record of more than 28 yards. To add insult to injury, Etienne also injured his hamstring during the match and this is an in-match decision. He had three carries for -1 yards before leaving the game. On the visitors side, the Patriots’ 12th-ranked run game was their strength, starting with a 170-yard effort that helped them beat the Bengals in Week 1. However, last week the run game stalled with leading rusher Rhamundre Stevenson out with a foot injury. Drake Maye accounted for 38 of the team’s 82 yards, and the rest of the team averaged just over two yards per carry. Stevenson remains on the injured list and did not train early in the week, leaving his status in doubt. Whether he is available or not, the Patriots will want to get that ground game going again to support their rookie QB. Which of the teams will be able to initiate this element of the attack, and what impact will it have on the final result?