The NFL International Series continues in Week 5 with the second of three games in London, the first of two straight in England for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Liam Cohen’s team returns to their ‘home away from home’ across the Atlantic to take on the Philadelphia Eagles: a contest between two teams heading in opposite directions.
If the Eagles want to salvage their season and return to Super Bowl contention after back-to-back losses, this is the ideal place to prove they can beat one of the league’s best teams. If the Jaguars handle their business as favorites, they will extend their winning streak to three games and move above .500 all-time in games played in London.
That’s not the only impressive race on the road to the Super Bowl this week. In fact, the more seismic clashes on the West Coast come with an NFC West battle between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks and a meeting between two Super Bowl favorites in the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.
Here’s an inside look at the Super Bowl race entering Week 5.
Super Bowl odds enter Week 5
Odds, +2000 or higher via DraftKings
The Jaguars enter the London swing in peak form
The Jaguars will next play on American soil in November. Each of their next two games are in London as they become the first NFL team to play consecutive home regular season games in an international market. For most teams, leaving their home stadium away from the friendly zone to spend two weeks abroad can be seen as a hindrance. Games in England are nothing new for the Jaguars. They should have a logistical advantage over the Eagles and Texans and are the better team in both matchups.
Trevor Lawrence finally got the Joe Burrow-sized monkey off his back last week as the Jaguars beat the Bengals 22-17, giving Lawrence his first head-to-head win over Burrow in four tries. Jacksonville now has two straight wins under its belt in response to its Week 2 loss and could be in the early stages of another long winning streak. He will dominate in each of the next three games.
Lawrence is easily the 10th best player, but the defense has been most impressive in his 3-1 start. The Jaguars rank second in defense with just 13.3 points allowed per game. The unit ranks fifth in the EPA in passing yards per pass despite facing Burrow’s high-octane air attack and reigning MVP runner-up Drake Maye in back-to-back weeks. This squad is better than ever and looks set to avenge last year’s 35-7 loss in London with a pair of overseas wins.
Stock down: Eagles begin potential rebuild
Nick Sirianni is nearly twice as likely heading into Week 4 to bring the City of Brotherly Love its second Super Bowl in three years. It’s the product of a woeful offensive showing in which the Eagles set a franchise-record 12 third downs without converting in a 24-20 loss to the Rams. They blew a 10-point lead in the final four minutes and have now lost two in a row after opening 2-0. Those two wins to start the season were fluffy, one-score results against bad teams.
This season is going in the wrong direction for Sirianni. It’s not all his fault, but he has work to do to save his job now that the pressure is officially on in Philadelphia.
The Eagles closed Week 4 without 10 starters. Injuries to Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Zack Baun and many other starters decimated their roster. Further depleting the staff, Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL and Philadelphia traded away Cam Jurgens, a previously strong offensive lineman. This trade could indicate that the Eagles is ready to collect things and move on to next year.
Long shot of the week: Falcons (+8000)
With 12 longest odds to win the Super Bowl, the market may not have caught up with the Falcons yet. It’s not the championship lead, but it’s a completely different team with Michael Penix Jr., and it at least deserves the respect of the division favorite.
With Cooper Rush under center, the Falcons lost their first two games, scored a combined 16 points and coughed up seven shutouts. In two games with Penix at quarterback, the offense scored 80 points, managed nearly twice as many yards and turned the ball over just once. Atlanta went from 0-2 to 2-2 with one transition. Now that the lineup has a signal caller capable of feeding Drake London the ball, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts, a unit that is among the NFL’s most talented collection of skill players could excel.
And now it’s not just crime that gets the job done. The Falcons also rank third in the league with a 43.6% pressure rate and boast the stingiest run defense in the NFL by a wide margin, allowing just 48.3 yards per game. It’s all about Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. was without.
Week 5 games to watch
Scores at Rams
Mondays, 8:15 p.m., ABC, Broadcast on Fubo
When it comes to the Australian game between the Rams and 49ers, Week 5 offers the biggest showdown of the year so far. Los Angeles may be previewing the Super Bowl. These two teams have the best chance to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy. Both star teams need a momentum-building win at this point, as the Rams haven’t looked as strong as expected in a 2-2 start and the Bills are trying to snap a two-game losing streak after their first loss of the year.
49ers at Seahawks
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. Fox, Broadcast on Fubo
The 49ers are already the top team in the NFC West with a 4-0 record and two wins in division play, but they can take complete command of football’s best division with a win in Week 5. They already beat the Rams in the season opener, so winning the second meeting en route to defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks would be a possibility. season. Seattle’s defense has let off the gas over the past two weeks, and it needs to hit that big point because the next four games are a gauntlet.
Eagles at Jaguars (London)
Sunday, 9:30 p.m., NFL Network, Broadcast on Fubo
A defeat in England won’t end the Eagles’ season, but it could set off a downward spiral of sorts that derails the rest of the campaign. Between the injuries and coaching scrutiny Philadelphia faces at this point, a three-game losing streak would be terrible for momentum. On the other hand, this is where the Jaguars have to jump. Against a losing team, they have a chance to make an early exit in the top-heavy AFC South and solidify themselves as a top-tier conference championship contender.