The Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars are going up to London for a game, and they will be faced with the long flight, a tough game in a strange stadium, and a flight back that will give them jet lag as they prepare for the next week of the season. Games in London are traditionally not that much fun to watch because the teams look tired, they almost seem like they do not want to be there, and these two teams, in particular, are not in a good position to play well under these circumstances. Neither team has the edge in this game as they try to improve.
The Jaguars offense
Pundits around the NFL have done everything from call for Blake Bortles to be benched to praise him as one of the league's most improved players. This writer thinks Bortles is improved, but he cannot develop his offense in a strange situation like this. London is not a place for breakout performances, and the Jaguars will be lucky to score much if at all.
The Ravens offense
The Ravens offense is better only because they have Joe Flacco. However, the team just lost their best offensive lineman, and that does not bode well for Flacco. Flacco is getting a little bit too old to be running around and passing off his front foot. A player like Flacco needs to stand in the pocket and launch the ball downfield to a deep threat who will cut down on the number of plays the offense runs.
The offense in Baltimore could be just as bad as Jacksonville's, and we are left with two defenses that will decide this game.
The Ravens defense
This is not the defense that won a Super Bowl almost on its own in 2000, and this defense is a depleted version of the one we saw win a Super Bowl just a couple years ago. The Ravens have a right to be concerned about their defense, but they are still better than the Jaguars.
This tiny detail could turn the game as The Ravens can get Blake Bortles to make one too many mistakes. This allows Joe Flacco to do a little bit less from the pocket, and the Ravens will squeeze out a close victory.
Should we play this game?
The league cannot know who will be good at the time the game is played, but it seems silly to put the Jaguars in a signature game for the league.
When European soccer teams come to America, they send their best. We have seen brilliant teams from England play the MLS All-Stars, but we send the Jaguars to London to pitch a game to the English that they are probably not that interested in. It makes no sense, and it leaves the Jaguars with another ugly loss on their resume.
