By Andy Davies
The New England Patriots prepare to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, marking their first appearance in London since 2012.
With an 80-14 combined score in their favour across those two games, the Pats will be looking to get back to winning ways after a five-game losing streak.
Up against a fellow 1-5 team in Jacksonville, they will hope that this is the game that turns their season around.
The Touchdown attended on Friday at their open practice, as I spoke to head coach Jerod Mayo and quarterback Drake Maye. After a very close-up view of practice, I then spoke to cornerback Christian Gonzalez, running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and International Player Pathway programme (IPP) graduate Jotham Russell.
Jerod Mayo: “They’ve both done a good job”
Mayo played for many years as a linebacker for the Patriots and was a key part of both their London wins. He recorded eight total tackles in a 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010 and seven as they beat the (then) St. Louis Rams 45-7 in 2012.
It has been a great start for two of New England’s current linebackers Raekwon McMillan and Jahlani Tavai, who are the joint tackle leaders so far in 2024 (35).
McMillan spent the entire of 2023 injured and Tavai is projected to have his second-best single-season total. Mayo spoke of the job they have done in New England’s 3-4 defense. He said: “Yeah they’ve both done a good job. The stats are the stats. I would say just the communication on the field the guys have taken a real step forward.
“Even in saying that I’ve challenged them this week to get even better. We need more out of that group and I look forward to seeing that Sunday.
Drake Maye: “I think it will be fun”
Maye made his NFL debut last Sunday in a defeat to the Houston Texans. In total, he threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. 92 of those yards went to Demario Douglas and three different players caught the ball in the end zone.
With the Jags posing the worst pass defense in 2024 and the second most points allowed, I asked him about how confident he was of being able to spread the ball to different players on offense and putting on a show in London. He said: “I think it will be fun. It will be awesome. Hopefully, we will get the run game going this week, I think that’s the big emphasis in this league, especially in our offense. Hopefully, they will open up some passing lanes and like you said, get different guys the football. It’s my job, finding completions early.
“We need to start fast, coach has been preaching that all week so that’s our job and really my job”
Christian Gonzalez: “We’re treating it like any other week”
No Jags wide receiver had more than five receptions and only tight end Evan Engram had more than 50 receiving yards against the Chicago Bears at Tottenham a week ago. I asked Gonzalez about locking up the Jags’ weapons and whether this has been on their minds this week when watching the tape. He said: “We don’t really look into the stats too much. They’re NFL receivers. They’ve been doing it for a while. They’re still good receivers.
“We’re treating it like any other week, studying the film, watching the film as you said but we don’t pay too much attention to the stats, just game plan and try and go out there and execute.”
Rhamondre Stevenson “To have some support would be great”
One of the most noticeable things when attending an international NFL game is the fact you often see a jersey from every single team. I asked Stevenson about how it would feel to see his name on a jersey in the Wembley crowd. He said: “That would be awesome. I’ve never really been out here. To have some support would be great. It will probably give me some more confidence to go out there and play harder”
Jothan Russell: “I’ll definitely look into it”
Russell, a former rugby player from Australia, joined the Patriots during the offseason as part of the IPP programme. I asked him about a former international player in Jakub Johnson.
From Germany, Johnson is now in his sixth career as an NFL player. Playing as a fullback, he spent three seasons with the Patriots.
“This is before two years with the Las Vegas Raiders and now the New York Giants, who coincidentally play in Germany this year. In 2019, he became the first IPP player to be activated onto an active roster and play an NFL game.
He scored his one and only touchdown to date in 2020, catching a touchdown from Cam Newton. Subsequently, he became the first German offensive player to score an NFL touchdown, the second German overall to do this.
With 35 starts in six seasons as not only a fullback but also an IPP graduate, I asked Russell about whether he is someone he has taken inspiration from. He said: “As far as me looking personally looking towards him, it hasn’t really been yet but I think now after hearing that, I’ll definitely look into it.
“My views transferred a little bit when I did get into the programme where I looked at the top figureheads that these could be the players you look towards.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
A current Sports Journalism masters student, Andy has been writing NFL articles since January 2020. Originally from Wales, Andy also writes for pro football mania and dolphins talk, as well as appearing on podcasts and videos for euro tripz. find him on twitter @andydaviessport.