ATLANTA (2-1) vs JACKSONVILLE (1-2) at Wembley Stadium in London
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EDT, ESPN+
OPENING LINE: Jaguars by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Atlanta 1-2; Jacksonville 1-2.
SERIES RECORD: Falcons lead 5-3.
LAST MEETING: Falcons beat Jaguars 21-14 on Nov. 28, 2021, in Jacksonville.
LAST WEEK: Lions beat Falcons 20-6; Texans beat Jaguars 37-17.
FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (9), PASS (29), SCORING (23).
FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (18), PASS (4), SCORING (7).
JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (19), PASS (9), SCORING (21).
JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (7), PASS (27), SCORING (23).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Falcons plus-2; Jaguars plus-1
FALCONS PLAYER TO WATCH: Desmond Ridder was sacked seven times last week at Detroit. The Falcons will look to provide better protection for him against Jacksonville, which failed to get a sack last week against a Houston team that had allowed an NFL-leading 11 sacks through two games. Ridder shouldered patrial blame for holding the ball too long at times.
JAGUARS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Calvin Ridley faces his former team for the first time. The Falcons drafted Ridley with the 26th overall selection in the 2018 draft and traded him to Jacksonville — while he was finishing up a yearlong suspension for gambling on games — last November for two conditional picks. Ridley is coming off one of his worst games. He dropped two TD passes and was flagged for two false starts.
KEY MATCHUP: Atlanta’s ground game versus Jacksonville’s rushing defense. Falcons rookie Bijan Robinson has 213 yards rushing and is averaging 5.5 yards a carry. The Jaguars have allowed 252 yards on the ground and are allowing 3.4 yards a carry.
KEY INJURIES: Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) could make his 2023 debut, providing another option behind Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. The Falcons now call Patterson’s position “Joker” for his wild-card potential as a receiver and runner. ... LB Troy Andersen (right shoulder/pec) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Nate Landman, who already has one start when Andersen did not play against Green Bay because of a concussion, is expected to fill in. … The Jaguars ruled out LB Devin Lloyd (thumb surgery) and said WR Zay Jones is a “long shot” to play against the Falcons.
SERIES NOTES: The Falcons have won four in a row in the series, all of them decided by at least six points.
STATS AND STUFF: This will be Atlanta’s third game in London and second at Wembley. The Falcons are 1-1 overseas, including a 27-20 win over the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021. ... Falcons DL Calais Campbell had 31½ sacks and 44 tackles for loss in three seasons (2017-19) with Jaguars. ... Allgeier has at least 45 yards rushing in nine of his past 10 games. ... Robinson leads all rookie running backs with 213 yards rushing and 102 yards receiving. He needs 37 yards rushing and 48 yards receiving to become the sixth rookie in league history with 250 yards rushing and 150 yards receiving in his first four games. ... S Jessie Bates has 24 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. He could become the third player with four INTs in his first four games with Falcons. … The Jaguars are playing their league-leading 10th game in London. They are 4-5 in the previous nine. … Jaguars’ Evan Engram leads all AFC TEs with 18 receptions for 173 yards, with 133 of those yards coming after the catch. … Jaguars LG Tyler Shatley is expected to play in his eighth game in London, which would extend his own NFL record.
FANTASY TIP: Start Falcons and Jaguars players at your own risk. Atlanta is coming off a six-point outing at Detroit; Jacksonville has two touchdowns in its past two games.
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