WATFORD, United Kingdom - Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal as time expired Sunday gave the Jaguars a 19-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, a win that pushed Jacksonville’s record to 4-1 and opened a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
The finish was among the most dramatic in the franchise’s 32-season history, featuring three lead changes in the final 3:20 and two in the last eight seconds. Wide receiver Parker Washington’s touchdown reception from quarterback Trevor Lawrence gave Jacksonville a 16-14 lead before Eagles kicker Jake Elliott connected with :08 remaining to put Philadelphia ahead. One play after Elliott’s kick, running back Ameer Abdullah returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Eagles 39, setting up Little’s game-winner.
“No flinch comes to mind,” linebacker Dennis Gardeck said Monday. “Whatever it takes to get the job done in that moment, it’s fun to be a part of. It leads to a team win. It’s fun to be a part of a team that’s so connected in terms of the phases.”
Abdullah credited the blocking of Gardeck and running back Chris Rodriguez on the decisive return. “Their strain, it was incredible - for those guys to suck it up in the moment where we need it the most,” Abdullah said. “That really set up the spacing and timing that we needed. That double team that was pretty much the nucleus of that play and they set the tone.”
Head Coach Liam Coen, speaking via Zoom from The Grove hotel where the team is staying during its two-game United Kingdom stint, said the victory was not easy to process. “I don’t think I slept all that well last night,” Coen said. “It was a long bus ride back, so we were able to watch some of the tape, which was good to be able to knock some of that out so that when you do get back to the hotel and you have a little bit more clarity as to what occurred. A lot happened.”
Jacksonville outgained Philadelphia 408-232 but left points on the field throughout, scoring no touchdowns on three possessions inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line. The Jaguars had possession twice at the Eagles 1-yard line - once at the end of the first half and once late in the third quarter - and failed to score a touchdown on either. “When you just boil it down to where we could have maybe made that game not where it ended up being was offensively in the red zone,” Coen said. “Where we had been good was an area in which were not.”
The Jaguars also navigated a long-snapping crisis after All-Pro long snapper Ross Matiscik sustained a shoulder injury that kept him out the final three-plus quarters. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton snapped eight times in Matiscik’s place. The team converted two of four fourth-down attempts, with both failed conversions coming inside the Eagles 5-yard line. “It was challenging in the moment, for sure,” Coen said. “It affected some of the calls, like going for it on fourth downs instead of kicking field goals. We missed the extra point. It does affect a lot of things.”
Coen said the Jaguars will sign a replacement long snapper expected to arrive in London and practice Wednesday. Left tackle Anton Harrison, who sustained a knee injury Sunday and did not return, underwent an MRI Monday. Sixth-year veteran Walker Little finished the game in his place. “I feel like we have pretty good depth, right now, so I think we’ll be all right,” Coen said.
The Indianapolis Colts fell to 2-3 after a 34-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Houston Texans sit at 1-4 and the Tennessee Titans remain winless at 0-5. Jacksonville faces Houston at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday in the second of its two-game United Kingdom stretch.