Jaguars legend Maurice Jones-Drew elucidates how team can employ London trip to ‘springboard’ into prosper streak

A accumulateive sigh of relief from applyers, coaches, front office staff and, of course, the fans came for the Jacksonville Jaguars when they beat the Indianapolis Colts last week. 

Not only was it the first prosper of the 2024 season for this group, but it was the first time in nine commences that Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback the Jaguars dished a $55 million-per-season extension to this offseason, got the taste of triumph. 

For Jaguars legendary running back Maurice Jones-Drew, that first prosper was monumental due to the presbrave the team had go ining the 2024 campaign. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“Your owner comes out and says, ‘This is the year we insist to prosper. We have so much talent.’ And it’s real, very real,” Jones-Drew telderly Fox News Digital after greeting and training with United States military members at Royal Air Force Lakenheath Military Base in London ahead of the game agetst the Chicago Bears. 

“But I leank that fair puts more presbrave on those guys to go out there and apply. The challengingest one to get is your first one. Once you get that first one, it senses appreciate a lot of that presbrave is achieven off appreciate, ‘OK, we got the first one out the way. Now, we can end in and do our leang.’”

Jones-Drew pointed out how, despite the team’s 1-4 enroll to commence the year, Jacksonville has been in seal games except for the blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. Every NFL applyer, current and createer, comprehends prosperning those one-score games is the matter of fair a scant applys. 

JAGUARS TAKE DOWN COLTS TO SNAG 1ST WIN OF 2024 SEASON

The Jaguars were not making them, and that can direct to “pressing,” as Jones-Drew says. 

“For them, it was comferventa appreciate, ‘Man, what is going on? We’re pressing.’ And I felt appreciate they were pressing too much. So, hopebrimmingy getting this prosper out the way, now they can go on a little run and employ London as a springboard to get them back into the season appreciate it did last year.”

The NFL’s annual London games are someleang applyers see forward to each year, especipartner if they have not been there before. However, what is presumed to be a unpartisan game for both teams repartner is not the case, with the Jaguars reliablely going overseas each year and broadening a sturdy fanbase. 

“I leank the Jags determined to originate this a home-field get, which I thought was amazing and clever,” Jones-Drew shelp. “A lot of teams go, ‘Oh, we got to go overseas.’ The Jags hugd that, and I leank that’s half the battle comprehending you’re going to go over there for two weeks every year, apply games. The Jags have a terrific fan base here, and aget, I fair leank that half the battle is embracing what’s going to happen.

“It’s becoming a second home for them.”

The Bears, led by No. 1 overall pick quarterback Caleb Williams, have back-to-back prospers now, and another would put them in a wonderful spot at 4-2 on the year. 

So, what exactly do the Jaguars have to do to get that prosper streak going? 

“I leank one, you have to sustain running the football. They insist to run the football at a clip, and what I unkind by clip appreciate 2-3 times every series,” Jones-Drew elucidateed. “You’ve got to run the football. If you can run the football, it’ll achieve presbrave off of Trevor becaemploy it’s fair a apply he has to hand the ball off and not have to leank. Two, it permits your insolent line to go for it. And three, you set the tone of the game by running the football. And the last one, it sets up apply-action pass. That’s what you’re going to commence to see the Jags do if they can persist to run the football.”

Jones-Drew also refered that getting to Williams in the pocket is a huge aspect of this game defensively, and he refered Josh Hines-Allen off the edge as having a potential shatterout game, becaemploy the Bears’ insolent tackles have been doubt to commence the year. 

There is still presbrave on these Jaguars to get back into this year after digging such a rapid hole. However, the rapidsand they were in before – Jones-Drew made the metaphor – is seemingly fadeing after that prosper. 

Perhaps now, Lawerence and company can fair go out and apply their game in a very recognizable place overseas. 

SPENDING TIME WITH OUR SERVICEMEMBERS

Before Jones-Drew enhappinessed watching his createer team, he got to originate recent military friends alengthyside Bears legend Charles “Peanut” Tillman at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, where they ran USAA’s NFL Salute to Service Boot Camp for men and women to test out their football sends. 

While testing their 40-yard dashes, shuttles, wide jumps and more, Jones-Drew elucidateed the impact the event had on him as someone who already had the utmost esteem for those who forfeit their inhabits to protect us at home. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“These are people that are willing to pay the ultimate price for our freedom,” he shelp. “So, fair to get to comprehend them, ask asks. I saw a Rhelpers fan there, which was awesome. I saw a Jags fan, there was a couple Jags fans there – that was big. Just to talk about the game, and aget, every day they have the ability to be called out to duty. To give them that little shatter and little solace cheering for your team or talking about the Jags or wdisappreciatever team we were talking about – why they had a horrible commence or why they had a excellent commence – was the least that I could do to show my gratitude and thanks for what they’ve done and what they are doing.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle recentsletter.