14:30 Sunday

The Jacksonville Jaguars will play host to the Atlanta Falcons in their home-away-from-home Wembley Stadium and head coach Doug Pederson will be looking for reaction from his players following back-to-back defeats against the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans respectively.

The Trevor Lawrence led Jags were warm favourites to win AFC South this year after a strong finish in 2022 and they undoubtedly have the talent to overcome their less than ideal start to the season.

The Atalanta Falcons were 2-0 heading into week three where they ultimately failed to match the firepower of the Detroit Lions, who put up 20 points to the Falcons six.

The Falcons selected blue chip prospect Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and the Texas star will be heavily relied upon both in the air and on the ground this weekend.

This will be the ninth time these two teams have faced-off and Atlanta currently hold the upper hand with five victories - which includes their four most recent encounters.

The Jaguars, who are owned by Fulham Football Club owner Shahid Khan, are regular visitors on these shores and boast a record of 4-5 in London games.

While the Falcons are 1-1 on their two previous ventures across the pond.

Falcons vs Jaguars Prediction

Trevor Lawrence has already developed chemistry with star wide receiver Calvin Ridley and the Falcons may struggle to cope with a passing attack that also features Christian Kirk, who had 11 catches for 111 yards in week two, and tight end Evan Engram.

The pass game is well complemented by the running back tandem of Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, therefore moving the chains should not be an issue for Jacksonville.

The Jags aren’t short of defensive playmakers either.

Pass rusher Josh Allen demonstrated his disruptive prowess when sacking Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson three times in week one.

While ball hawking safety Andre Cisco picked off Patrick Mahomes in week two and will be looking to do the same to second season quarterback Desmond Ridder this weekend.

The Atlanta Falcons are gradually building their offence around rookie running back Bijan Robinson and he could be poised for a true breakout game after seeing his snap count rise in each of the three previous weeks.

Despite the presence tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London, the Falcons continue to rely heavily upon their ground attack that also features Tyler Allgeier, who racked up over 1,000 yards as a rookie last year.

Desmond Ridder only had 115 passing yards in week one and the Falcons could only score two field goals in their 20-6 defeat In Detroit last weekend.

With this in mind, I expect the more balanced attack of the Jacksonville Jaguars to come out on top and to cover the point spread.

Falcons vs Jaguars Tips 

Calvin Ridley - First Touchdown Scorer

Calvin Ridley has endured a couple of frustrating games following a productive opening day that saw him catch eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and he will be keen to get back into the endzone on Sunday.

The former Falcon leads the Jaguars in targets (26) and is tied for the most receiving yards with both Christian Kirk and Evan Engram (173).

Jessie Bates - Player Defensive Interception 

Trevor Lawrence has thrown two interceptions through the first three weeks and is being forced to make throws under pressure due a problematic offensive line.

This is music to the ears of the Falcons star safety Jessie Bates, who has already recorded three interpretations this season and will be looking to pick off any pass that doesn’t come out accurately.

Foysade Oluokun - Player Tackles And Assists Over 11.5

Foysade Oluokun has led the league in tackles in each of the last two years and already has 37 stops to his name this year.

The hard hitting linebacker should have plenty of opportunities to add to that tally this weekend given the Falcons run heavy offence.

Travis Etienne - Player Rushing Yards Milestones 75 

Travis Etienne logged 77 yards on the ground in week one and managed another 88 yards last weekend.

While rookie Tank Bigsby has been given opportunities in the red zone, it’s the third year back who has been given the responsibility of moving the chains and he looks sure to play that role once again.

Falcons vs Jaguars Team News 

Wide receiver Zay Jones did not participate in practice on Wednesday or Thursday and is therefore questionable to play on Sunday.

Star pass rusher Josh Allen is still dealing with the shoulder injury that he suffered in week two and has been listed as limited in practice.

While rookie offensive tackle Anton Harrison has also been limited with an ankle complaint.

Linebacker Devin Lloyd has been unable to practice all week and has not made the trip to London.

The Falcons listed running back Cordarrelle Patterson as limited with a thigh problem on Thursday.

While wide receiver Josh Ali, who is dealing with an ankle injury, did not practice on Thursday.

Falcons vs Jaguars 9/1 Bet Builder Tips

Rookie running back Tank Bigsby boasts two rushing touchdowns through three weeks and may continue to take away goal line opportunities from Travis Etienne. I would therefore look to the air for an anytime touchdown scorer and would favour Calvin Ridley, as discussed earlier.

Ridley found the endzone in week one and came agonisingly close to doing so again in week two.

Trevor Lawrence will be eager to get the ball to his primary playmaker and he certainly has the arm to do so - making a passing prop of over 240.5 yards attractive.

The former Clemson Tiger has the weapons to throw deep and playmakers who can create yards after the catch, just as Travis Etienne did when turning four catches into 50 yards last weekend.

Bijan Robinson’s snap count rose last week at the expense of Tyler Allgeier and the former Texas star will likely be the feature of Atalanta’s offence. I would therefore take him to have over 95.5 combined rushing and receiving yards in the game.

Robinson logged 83 yards from scrimmage in week one, 172 yards in week two and 60 yards in week three, giving him an average of 105 yards per game.

Finally, I would support the Jacksonville Jaguars to win the game.

Sources: Football Database, ESPN, NFL.