The Jacksonville Jaguars rolled to a 23-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in London behind quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a 61-yard pick-six by defensive back Darious Williams.
Lawrence completed 23 of 30 passes for 207 yards and a score. He also added 42 yards on the ground.
For his part, Williams added five tackles in addition to that interception return for a score, which put the Jaguars up 17-0 with less than five minutes to play in the first half.
Wideout Christian Kirk led Jacksonville (2-2) in receptions (eight) and yards (84). Tight end Evan Engram added seven receptions for 59 yards, while receiver Calvin Ridley tallied two receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown against his former team. Tailback Travis Etienne chipped in 55 yards on 20 carries.
Jaguars’ kicker Brandon McManus made three field goals, which included a 56-yarder.
Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson had 14 carries for 105 yards and added five receptions for 32 yards. After throwing two first-half interceptions, Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder settled down and finished with 191 passing yards and a touchdown.
Tight end Jonnu Smith had six receptions for 95 yards, while wideout Drake London added three receptions for 28 yards and a score for Atlanta (2-2).
Jacksonville took a 7-0 lead with 5:44 to play in the first quarter when Lawrence connected with Ridley on a 30-yard touchdown pass. The scoring reception capped an eight-play, 72-yard scoring march that took 3:49 off the clock. A key fourth-and-1 conversion from Lawrence to Kirk at the Atlanta 38-yard line kept the drive alive.
The Jaguars increased their lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter when McManus nailed a 56-yard field goal. A 30-yard reception by Kirk moved Jacksonville inside Falcons territory to set up the score.
After Atlanta drove to the Jacksonville 45-yard line late in the second quarter, Williams picked off Ridder and scooted 61 yards for a pick-six to put the Jaguars up 17-0.
On the Falcons’ ensuing possession, Ridder was intercepted by safety Andre Cisco, but the Jaguars failed to score on a fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 7-yard line as Lawrence was sacked.
On its opening possession of the second half, Atlanta cut Jacksonville’s lead to 17-7 when Ridder hooked up with London for a 15-yard touchdown pass on third-and-9. The scoring reception capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive that took just 3:22 off the clock.
A McManus 43-yard field goal put the Jaguars up 20-7 early in the fourth quarter. He added a 38-yard field goal with just under two minutes to play to cap the scoring.
–Field Level Media
