Neither young quarterback played particularly well in today’s early game in London, but Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence did more than Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder.
Lawrence hit Calvin Ridley for a 30-yard touchdown pass early, picked up a big pass interference penalty on a deep throw to Ridley late, and avoided major mistakes as the Jaguars grinded out a 23-7 win.
Ridder could not avoid mistakes. He threw a costly pick-six and then threw another interception on his very next pass after that one, and the Falcons were never really in the game. A Ridder fumble late in the fourth quarter sealed the Jaguars’ win. Rookie running back Bijan Robinson continued to show his talent and topped 100 rushing yards for the second time in his young career, but overall the Falcons’ offense was a mess.
The Falcons simply must get their passing game going, and Ridder isn’t getting the job done. It doesn’t help that Kyle Pitts, the highly drafted tight end, has been mostly invisible and is getting out-produced by veteran tight end Jonnu Smith.
The fans in London were not given a jolly good show by the NFL, as this was a largely dull and lifeless game. Now the 2-2 Jaguars will stay in London for next week’s game against a much better opponent, the Bills. The 2-2 Falcons head home for a winnable game against the Texans — winnable if Ridder can play better than he did today.