A collective sigh of relief from players, 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 win of the 2024 season for this group, but it was the first time in nine starts that Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback the Jaguars dished a $55 million-per-season extension to this offseason, got the taste of victory.
For Jaguars legendary running back Maurice Jones-Drew, that first win was monumental due to the pressure the team had entering the 2024 campaign.
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"Your owner comes out and says, ‘This is the year we need to win. We have so much talent.’ And it’s true, very true," Jones-Drew told Fox News Digital after meeting and training with United States military members at Royal Air Force Lakenheath Military Base in London ahead of the game against the Chicago Bears.
"But I think that just puts more pressure on those guys to go out there and play. The hardest one to get is your first one. Once you get that first one, it feels like a lot of that pressure is taken off like, ‘OK, we got the first one out the way. Now, we can settle in and do our thing.’"
Jones-Drew pointed out how, despite the team's 1-4 record to start the year, Jacksonville has been in close games except for the blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. Every NFL player, current and former, knows winning those one-score games is the matter of just a few plays.
JAGUARS TAKE DOWN COLTS TO SNAG 1ST WIN OF 2024 SEASON
The Jaguars were not making them, and that can lead to "pressing," as Jones-Drew says.
"For them, it was kinda like, ‘Man, what is going on? We’re pressing.’ And I felt like they were pressing too much. So, hopefully getting this win out the way, now they can go on a little run and use London as a springboard to get them back into the season like it did last year."
The NFL's annual London games are something players look forward to each year, especially if they have not been there before. However, what is supposed to be a neutral game for both teams really is not the case, with the Jaguars consistently going overseas each year and developing a strong fanbase.
"I think the Jags decided to make this a home-field advantage, which I thought was amazing and smart," Jones-Drew said. "A lot of teams go, ‘Oh, we got to go overseas.’ The Jags embraced that, and I think that’s half the battle knowing you’re going to go over there for two weeks every year, play games. The Jags have a terrific fan base here, and again, I just think 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 wins now, and another would put them in a great spot at 4-2 on the year.
So, what exactly do the Jaguars have to do to get that win streak going?
"I think one, you have to keep running the football. They need to run the football at a clip, and what I mean by clip like 2-3 times every series," Jones-Drew explained. "You’ve got to run the football. If you can run the football, it’ll take pressure off of Trevor because it’s just a play he has to hand the ball off and not have to think. Two, it allows your offensive 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 play-action pass. That’s what you’re going to start to see the Jags do if they can continue to run the football."
Jones-Drew also mentioned that getting to Williams in the pocket is a huge aspect of this game defensively, and he mentioned Josh Hines-Allen off the edge as having a potential breakout game, because the Bears' offensive tackles have been suspect to start the year.
There is still pressure on these Jaguars to get back into this year after digging such a quick hole. However, the quicksand they were in before – Jones-Drew made the metaphor – is seemingly disappearing after that win.
Perhaps now, Lawerence and company can just go out and play their game in a very familiar place overseas.
SPENDING TIME WITH OUR SERVICEMEMBERS
Before Jones-Drew enjoyed watching his former team, he got to make new military friends alongside 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 skills.
While testing their 40-yard dashes, shuttles, broad jumps and more, Jones-Drew explained the impact the event had on him as someone who already had the utmost respect for those who sacrifice their lives to protect us at home.
"These are people that are willing to pay the ultimate price for our freedom," he said. "So, just to get to know them, ask questions. I saw a Raiders 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 again, every day they have the ability to be called out to duty. To give them that little break and little solace cheering for your team or talking about the Jags or whatever team we were talking about – why they had a bad start or why they had a good start – was the least that I could do to show my gratitude and thanks for what they’ve done and what they are doing."
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