The Philadelphia Eagles look as if they will be undermanned overseas
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles look as if they will be undermanned overseas.
The Eagles (2-2) will be without two longtime starting offensive linemen when they make the trip across the pond to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And they could be without two of their biggest offensive stars, with running back Saquon Barkley and receiver DeVonta Smith both dealing with hamstring injuries.
Coach Nick Sirianni’s message to his team: lock arms and let’s go.
“Every adversity that I’ve been in through my life, they’re not comfortable at the time, but they produce the most growth,” Sirianni said.
Six-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson abruptly retired Tuesday and then the team traded two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore a day later. The moves thrust rookie right tackle Markel Bell and second-year guard Willie Lampkin into starting roles against the Jaguars (3-1).
“We all have all the faith in the world because that’s just who he is, man,” Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said of Bell. “People have doubted him his whole career, whether that be JUCO, college or even now. … He’s got a tremendous task. That’s calling it how it is. Lane Johnson is one of one. What he’s done with his career, don’t know if it will ever be repeated again.
“What I told Markel is that he’s not here to fill anyone’s shoes. He’s here to make his own.”
The Eagles were scheduled to land in London on Saturday morning and will face a quick turnaround before playing. The Jaguars planned to arrive a day earlier for a 10-day stay at a country retreat northwest of London.
“Obviously, the travel can be a challenge,” said Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is 4-3 in seven starts in the UK. “But I feel like as much as we’ve done it, we at least know what we’re getting into and kind of the routine and how it goes and how to best take care of all the stuff so you’re good to play Sunday.”
The Jaguars will face AFC South rival Houston next week at Wembley Stadium. They are 7 1/2-point favorites against the Eagles, who have lost two in a row.
Jacksonville has won 11 of its past 12 regular-season games.
“It’s all about us,” Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said. “We’re supposed to lose every game; people are waiting for us to fail. We know we’re a good team.
“Nobody here is doubting anybody. We just got to keep doing what we do. That’s been the message all along: get to a point to where we respect what we have going on and we’ll be fine.”
Need to know
Philadelphia (2-2) vs. Jacksonville (3-1) in London.
When/where to watch: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EDT, NFL Network.
Latest odds: Jaguars by 7 1/2.
Against the spread: Eagles 0-4; Jaguars 3-1.
Last week: Eagles lost to the Los Angeles Rams 24-20; Jaguars won at the Bengals 22-17.
Last meeting: Eagles beat Jaguars 28-23 on Nov. 3, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Series record: Eagles lead 5-3.
Matchup to watch
Jaguars defensive linemen Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Arik Armstead and DeVon Hamilton versus Philadelphia’s revamped offensive line. Jacksonville has nine sacks through four games and would like to see that number rise against a unit that includes a rookie making his second start (Bell) and a second-year pro seeing his first significant NFL action (Lampkin).
Stats and stuff
— The stadium is expected to be filled with mostly Eagles fans, making Jacksonville’s “home game” more like a road contest.
— The Eagles are 2-0 in games played outside of the United States, beating Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium in 2018 and Green Bay in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2024. Philadelphia and Carolina are the only NFL teams that are undefeated in other countries.
— The Eagles have won five consecutive games in the series, with the past three being decided by eight points or fewer.
— The Eagles are 6-0 against the AFC South under Sirianni.
— This is the third time in franchise history Jacksonville has played consecutive games in London, going 2-0 in 2023 and 1-1 in 2024.
— The Jaguars have allowed three or fewer points in the first half in four consecutive games.
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