NFL London: Jacksonville Jaguars score decisive win against New England Patriots

Wembley Stadium, London
CNN
—

The Jacksonville Jaguars returned to winning ways with a 32-16 win over the New England Patriots in the final NFL game of the year in London.

At Wembley Stadium, a venue that has become the Jaguars' home stadium in recent years, Jacksonville got a much-needed victory, and did so in emphatic style.

Touchscreens from Brian Thomas Jr., Tank Bigsby and Parker Washington gave the Jaguars the lead, with Bigsby also scoring later to keep the touchdown party going in the second half.

Jacksonville was in full swing ahead of the second of its back-to-back games in the English capital and fans' fears would not have been eased by the start of the Jaguars game at Wembley Stadium.

The Patriots easily outran the field on their first drive and were rewarded with an early touchdown. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye found JaMycal Hasty in the redzone and the running back dodged and ducked past defenders to score.

Jacksonville had a 1-5 record entering the game and the offense was far from firing. Under the gloomy, gray London sky, after a first drive punt for the Jaguars, it already looked like another one of those days.

But Trevor Lawrence and Co. responded well to the initial pressure and soon found the rhythm they had been looking for for a long time.

After a Patriots field goal made it 10-0, Lawrence found Thomas Jr. wide open in the end zone for the Jaguars' first touchdown of the day to reduce the deficit.

One touchdown quickly turned into two for the Jaguars. Running back Tank Bigsby led his team down the field before capping the drive with a touchdown and the score was suddenly 14-10 in Jacksonville.

No sooner had the Jaguars fans celebrated Bigsby's touchdown than they were back on their feet celebrating another exciting play. Parker Washington rocked Wembley when he returned a Patriots punt 96 yards to the end zone.

The wide receiver raced past all of the defenders flying toward him before falling backwards into the end zone to celebrate a memorable moment from his trip to London. The Jaguars then scored with a two-point try to rub salt in the wounds and ended the first half in complete control.

The offensive frenzy of the first half could not be matched after the break and Jacksonville appeared to be on its way to a comfortable win.

But with time running out in the fourth period, New England's offense breathed some life into an otherwise uneventful second half. Maye threw a touchdown to KJ Osborn to give Patriots fans some semblance of hope.

That optimism would quickly evaporate when, after a New England turnover on downs, Bigsby was able to add another touchdown to the score and end any chances of a close encounter.

The Jaguars return to the USA with a 1-1 record from their time in London a little happier than back then, and the pressure on quarterback Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson has partially eased. The Jaguars, now 2-5, face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday when they return to Florida.

For the Patriots, the long flight home gives head coach Jerod Mayo and young quarterback Maye plenty to think about as they look to improve their current 1-6 record with a game against the New York Jets in Week 8 of the NFL season.