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Jacksonville Jaguars can't slow down Caleb Williams, lose to Chicago Bears 35-16 in London
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- Jacksonville Jaguars can't slow down Caleb Williams, lose to Chicago Bears 35-16 in London
LONDON — The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) entered Sunday's matchup against the Chicago Bears (4-2) desperate to pick up their second win after starting the season 0-4.
That didn't happen.
The Jaguars lost 35-16 to the Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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While they got off to a good start on both sides of the football, Jacksonville quickly faltered, failing to sustain or stop drives, reverting to the team that lost its first four games.
Jacksonville committed multiple self-inflected errors, including a costly turnover to start the second half of the game trailing 14-3. Though the Jaguars later scored a touchdown to cut Chicago's lead to 21-10 halfway through the third quarter, it was too little, too late.
Jaguars fall to Bears in London: Get caught up with what transpired
Sunday's game at Tottenham was the first of the Jaguars' two-game series in London. They'll face the Patriots next week at Wembley Stadium for the team's "home" game. This year marked the second straight season Jacksonville played back-to-back games in London, one home and one away.
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Trevor Lawrence can't overcome teammates' slack, struggles against Bears pass rush
Lawrence didn't find much room in the passing game beyond the first drive of the game. He completed 5 of 7 passes to start the contest but mustered just four completions for 28 yards on his next five attempts.
Chicago's defense totaled three quarterback hits and a sack in the first half after Lawrence was able to escape last week's win against the Colts clean, not hit a single time and pressured only once.
Lawrence's inability to make plays in the first half didn't come alone after Davis dropped an easy touchdown on the team's first drive, forcing Jacksonville to settle for a field goal early.
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Later in the game, Davis dropped another touchdown as Jacksonville trailed 35-10 with about nine minutes left in the game. Davis later caught his second touchdown of the game to cut Chicago's lead to 35-16 after a failed two-point conversion attempt by the Jaguars.
The rest of the game didn't come easy for Lawrence. Though he completed a touchdown pass to Davis later, he also tossed an ill-advised pass in the middle of the field, intercepted by Bears defensive back Josh Blackwell .
Lawrence's receivers dropped at least two touchdowns with another two that looked like they could have been caught for scores. Lawrence was hit at least six times and sacked three times.
Lawrence finished 23 of 35 for 234 yards, two touchdowns and one interception before being pulled for backup QB Mac Jones with the game out of hand with 3:21 remaining.
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On the ground, the Jaguars put up their worst rushing performance of the season, netting just 68 yards.
Caleb Williams finds his groove after shaky start vs. Jaguars, tosses 4 touchdowns
Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams began sluggish but found his groove as the game went on against Jacksonville's defense.
In the first half, Williams completed 12 of 15 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He added four carries for 56 yards, including a 23-yard run on Chicago's second touchdown drive of the first half.
Jacksonville's rushing attack didn't have much to write home about against Williams in the first half, either. The Jaguars missed multiple tackles, including on Williams' first touchdown pass of the day to tight end Cole Kmet . According to ESPN's Mike DiRocco, the Jaguars blitzed Williams one time, pressuring him five times on 18 dropbacks.
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The Jaguars got to Williams a couple of times in the second half but failed to shift momentum in Jacksonville's favor.
Williams finished the game 23 of 29 for 226 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He added another 56 yards on the ground on four carries.
Jaguars defense struggles to slow down Bears offense, Cole Kmet
The Jaguars' defense began the game with stout play, holding the Bears to just seven total net yards on their first two drives. According to Jaguars PR, that was the ninth-fewest yards allowed by Jacksonville's defense in franchise history.
It was a mixed bag from that point forward and into the second half.
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Though safety Andre Cisco picked off Williams on Chicago's third drive of the game, they allowed 135 yards and a touchdown in the next two drives combined before giving up an 85-yard touchdown drive capped by Kmet's second touchdown of the game, a two-yard pitch and catch from Williams.
Kmet also worked as the team's long snapper through most of the contest after starter Scott Daly was knocked out of the game early due to a knee injury.
Williams later found receiver Keenan Allen on a nine-yard touchdown to put Chicago ahead 21-3 early in the third quarter.
Jacksonville's defense gave up 375 yards, 25 first downs and an average of 6.4 yards per play against Chicago.
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Travis Etienne leaves game with hamstring injury
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs onto the field with teammates. The Jaguars led 20 to 10 at the end of the first half. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jaguars first preseason game of the season Saturday, August10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
In the third quarter, Jaguars running back Travis Etienne was taken out of the game because of a hamstring injury. He was not officially ruled out but did not carry the ball again after leaving the contest. Etienne finished the game with -1 rushing yard on three carries.
Etienne entered the game with a shoulder injury that's kept him limited the last two weeks of practice.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars struggle to get going, fall 35-16 vs. Chicago Bears in London
