Sunday’s victory before a crowd of 85,716, was the Jaguars tenth NFL games in London, the most by any NFL side.

The Falcons came into the week four game with a slightly better record of 2-1 compared to the Jaguars 1-2.

Jaguars opened the scoring with a touchdown from Calvin Ridley. The wide receiver  was on the end of Trevor Laurence’s throw to score against his former team. With Brandon McManus adding the extra point, the Jags had a 7-0 lead with 5:55 remaining in the opening quarter.

Calvin Ridley scores against his former team!#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/s4ACGtEV7b

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023

An early second quarter 56 yard field goal from kicker Brandon McManus extended his side’s lead to 10-0.

First-quarter: Jacksonville Jaguars 10  Atlanta Falcons 0

Midway through the second quarter, Atlanta had their best passage of play in the game. This, unfortunately for them, with an interception as the clock showed 5 minutes to play to half time.

A throw from quarterback Desmond Ridder was intercepted by the alert corner back Darious Williams, who covered the 62 yards to the endzone to claim his side’s second touchdown of the opening half.

That’s a Darious Williams PICK-6! @Jaguars#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/iptA26RX1i

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023

Brandon McManus maintained his 100% record of kicking of posts on the day, as he added the extra point for a 17-0 lead as half-time approached.

Half-time: Jacksonville Jaguars 17  Atlanta Falcons 0

The Falcons finally got into this game in the third quarter. An 18 yard pass from Desmond Ridder was successfully collected by Drake London. The wide receiver had to work smartly to ensure he kept his feet within the endzone in order to gain his side’s opening score of the contest.

DRAKE LONDON IN LONDON.#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/IA0OrsL3wJ

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023

The extra point was successful from Younghoe Koo which left the Jaguars leading 17-7 with only 5 minutes played in the third quarter.

Third-quarter: Jacksonville Jaguars 17 Atlanta Falcons  7

Brandon McManus scored his second field goal of the game at the end of 13 plays, as the kicked dissected the posts from 43 yards out. His fourth successful kick of the afternoon helped the Jaguars extend their advantage to 20-7 with under 11 minutes left to play in the final quarter.

McManus added 38 yard field goal with less than 2 minutes to play to ensure his side’s victory, running out 23-7 winners.

Having first played in December 1996 when the Jaguars edged out the Atlanta outfit 19-17, today was only the fourth victory for the Jacksonville side against the Falcons.

Prior to this weekend, the most recent meeting of the two sides was in November 2021 when the Falcons were victorious on a 21-14 score line.

Final-score: Jacksonville Jaguars 23 Atlanta Falcons 7

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Overcame Deficits

Four teams, namely ATLANTA (12 points), the NEW YORK GIANTS (21), TENNESSEE (11) and WASHINGTON (18) all overcame deficits of at least 10 points to win this week.

The NEW YORK GIANTS overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Arizona, 31-28, as GRAHAM GANO kicked a game-winning 34-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The WASHINGTON COMMANDERS overcame an 18-point second-quarter deficit and came back to defeat Denver, 35-33, after trailing in the final quarter.

The ATLANTA FALCONS overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Green Bay, 25-24, as YOUNGHOE KOO kicked the game-winning 25-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining in regulation.

The TENNESSEE TITANS overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-24, in overtime while the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS defeated Detroit, 37-31, in overtime in Week 2. This season marks the fourth time in the past six seasons at least one game has gone to overtime in each of the first two weeks of the season.

Unbeaten after Week 2

Eight teams – ATLANTA, BALTIMORE, DALLAS, PHILADELPHIA, SAN FRANCISCO, TAMPA BAY,  WASHINGTON and MIAMI are 2-0 to start the season, while CLEVELAND and NEW ORLEANS can begin 2-0 with wins on Monday. Last season, each of the six teams to begin the season 2-0 advanced to the postseason.

Mahomes breaks Marino and Ryan’s Record

Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 305 yards with two touchdowns while tight end TRAVIS KELCE had four receptions and his first touchdown catch of the season in the Chiefs’ 17-9 win at Jacksonville.

Mahomes, in his seventh season, recorded his 42nd-career game with at least 300 passing yards and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (41 games) and MATT RYAN (41) for the most such games by a player in his first nine seasons in NFL history.

Many records set during Week 2 action

Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN completed 31 of 37 attempts (83.8 percent) for 274 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 124.5 rating in the Bills’ 38-10 win over Las Vegas.

Allen has 180 combined passing and rushing touchdowns and surpassed RUSSELL WILSON (177 touchdowns) for the fourth-most combined passing and rushing touchdowns by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (204), Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (199) and CAM NEWTON (184) have more.

First Touchdown of season for Davante Adams

Las Vegas wide receiver DAVANTE ADAMS had six receptions for 84 yards and his first touchdown reception of the season on Sunday against Buffalo.

Adams has 88 career touchdown receptions and surpassed LARRY FITZGERALD (87 touchdown receptions) for the fifth-most touchdown receptions by a player in his first 10 seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers JERRY RICE (131), RANDY MOSS (124), MARVIN HARRISON (110) and TERRELL OWENS (101) have more.

Baltimore quarterback LAMAR JACKSON totalled 291 yards (237 passing, 54 rushing) with two touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 112.8 rating in the Ravens’ 27-24 win at Cincinnati.

Jackson has 48 career games with at least 50 rushing yards and surpassed CAM NEWTON (47) for the second-most such games by a quarterback in NFL history. Only MICHAEL VICK (54 games) has more.

Cincinnati rookie wide receiver CHARLIE JONES returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown on Sunday. With Jones’ 81-yard punt return for a touchdown this week and Jets rookie Xavier Gipson’s game-winning 65-yard punt return for a touchdown in Week 1, 2023 marks the first season since 2015 with a punt-return touchdown in each of the first two weeks. It also marks the first season with a punt-return touchdown by a rookie in each of the first two weeks since 2010, when DEXTER MCCLUSTER (Week 1) and DEZ BRYANT (Week 2) accomplished the feat.

Two TDs for Rookie Quarterback

Indianapolis rookie quarterback ANTHONY RICHARDSON rushed for two touchdowns in the Colts’ 31-20 win at Houston. Richardson, who had a rushing touchdown in his first career game last week, is the third quarterback ever with three rushing touchdowns in his first two career games, joining DAUNTE CULPEPPER and JACK THOMPSON

Houston rookie quarterback C.J. STROUD completed 30 of 47 pass attempts (63.8 percent) for 384 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions on Sunday.

Stroud, who had 28 completions in his NFL debut last week, has 58 completions in his first two starts. Stroud has 626 passing yards in his first two games, the fifth-most ever by a player in his first two career games.

Cowboys complete NY double

The DALLAS COWBOYS defeated the New York Jets, 30-10, in Week 2 after defeating the New York Giants, 40-0, on kick-off Weekend.

The Cowboys are the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to score at least 70 points and allow 10-or-fewer points through their first two games of a season, joining the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS in 2019, DETROIT LIONS in 1970, OAKLAND RAIDERS in 1967 and HOUSTON OILERS in 1966.

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A big reason for their good run of form is, of course, quarterback Josh Allen, who’s already picked up 15 passing TDs and only seen three turnovers thus far, but McDermott’s side isn’t just banking on his QB to lead them to a long run into the postseason.

Defensively they’ve, for the most part, been solid also. They managed to overcome the Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins with big wins to zero, and they look a solid wager to consider. If you take a look at the latest odds on the comparison service sidelines.io, you’ll see that the Bills at (+600) are second only to reigning Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay, with early-season favorites the Kansas City Chiefs behind Buffalo in the betting.

Backing the Buccaneers or the Chiefs was perhaps the safe option before game one, but things have gotten more complicated since then. Indeed you might also want to factor in the Arizona Cardinals, the only unbeaten team left in the NFL and available at (+1100).

Their most recent loss was, in many ways, down to a series of avoidable penalties that the Bills suffered. It’s an issue McDermott is keen to learn from;

“You know, discipline, discipline is important if you want to be a good football team,” he added. “The red zone, the turnover, you know the difference of points right there, that’s a potentially different game.”

McDermott added, “We got to learn from that and get better, and then we’ve got to fix some things on defense as well, and then penalties overall. You know we can’t kill ourselves with penalties like that.”

This is McDermott’s fifth season in charge of the Bills, and he’s seen his side progress over the course of that period, but there is very much a sense that they could do better. In three of the previous four seasons, Buffalo has made it to the postseason; on two of those occasions, they’ve bailed out in the wildcard game, and in 2020 they made it to the NFL AFC Championship Game before losing to the Chiefs.

It might be fair to say that this is the best shot the Bills have at Super Bowl glory since the heady days of the mid-90s when they racked up four Super Bowl losses in a row under legendary coach Marv Levy.

The Bills are still without a Super Bowl triumph in their 61-year history, and no doubt many Buffalo fans are hoping this will come to fruition this time around, and they’ll be accompanied by the many sports bettors who have chosen to back Sean McDermott’s side to go all the way this year.

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The 2^nd of the NFL’s International Series games takes place this week as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins make the trip from Florida to Tottenham. With just one win between them so far this year, both will see this as a good chance to try to kickstart their season.

Key Battles:

Can the Dolphins Offensive Line hold up?While the biggest news for the Dolphins is the expected return of Tua Tagovailoa, it will count for nothing if his offensive line continues to give up free shots at him they way they have been. A reshuffle of the pieces on that line provided a marked improvement last week against the Buccaneers, but they still have a ways to go. With the dangerous Josh Allen amongst the Jaguars pass rush, the Dolphins protection will need to be on point.

Can London be Urban Meyer’s safe place? To say Urban Meyer’s start with the Jaguars hasn’t gone well is an understatement. Winless after 5 games and making headlines for off the field issues maybe the break from the norm that this London trip will represent is the tonic he and his team needs.

Can the Dolphins defense rediscover 2020 form? A surprising element of the season so far for Miami has been the poor play on defense. A very solid defense last season has given way to a team raked in the bottom 10 in passing yards per game, rushing yards per game and points per game. And probably even more worryingly, the forced turnovers, that were a big part of their game last year, have dried up. They will also be without key man Xavien Howard. Despite the Jags poor form, there is plenty of talent in their offense to test the Fins defensive unit. Can the Dolphins turn the corner defensively against Trevor Lawrence and co?

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline: Miami 13/20 Jacksonville 5/4
Over/Under: 47
Spread: Miami -3

The 4/1 power price Paddy Power are offering for both Myles Gaskin and James Robinson to score a TD looks like a winner to me. The return of Tua makes Jaylen Waddle a good shout to score a TD in each half at 16/1 as well.

VERDICT:

It’s very difficult to know what to expect from Miami. They opened with a solid win against the Pats but the wheels came off the cart rapidly after that.

But I trust Brian Flores to turn it around and I think this game will be the start of that. While confidence will be fragile at best, it will be boosted by Tua’s return.

The Jags are a totally disfunctional organisation and the man at the helm has done more to hurt them than help fix them. I’m taking a 8 point Dolphins win

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The 2^nd game Sunday has Dak Prescott lead “America’s Team” into the ultra impressive SoFi Stadium to take on the Chargers. The ‘Boys are coming off a heartbreaking game in the league opener vs the defending SuperBowl Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers where they somehow managed to snatch a defeat from the jaws of victory. While the performance was admirable, The Cowboys have been threatening to contend for far too long without delivering, so moral victories are worthless at this point. They play the Chargers, who themselves have long been a team who seem to be geared up to have a good go at challenging but without ever managing to do it. The hope is high that Justin Herbert is the guy to lead them to that next level and he is coming off an outstanding rookie campaign. They are looking to add a 2^nd straight win to start the season after overcoming Washington last week.

Key Battles:

Ezekiel Elliott vs The shell of Ezekiel Elliott: While Dak Prescott had what was by far his most impressive showing in his Cowboys career, being asked to throw the ball 58 times is not sustainable over the course of a season if Dallas are to have any success. He needs Ezekiel Elliott, the old Ezekiel Elliott, back to strike fear into opposing defenses. We were all told he had trimmed down, and he does look in much better shape this year, but struggled to get anything going again last week. Granted Against that Tampa defensive front, there is no shame in that. But he really needs to step up this week.

Dan Quinn’s Defense vs Herbert and Co.: As a defensive co-ordinator in Seattle, Quinn oversaw one of the most fearsome secondary’s the NFL has ever seen in the Legion of Boom. This Cowboys secondary are a far cry from what he had at Seattle and are in need of real leadership if they are to even be a reliable unit. The Chargers will look to test them out as much as they can and if the Cowboys aren’t up to it, it could be another embarrassing night for Jerry Jones’ product.

Chargers Defense vs Dak’s All Stars: Equally on the other side of the ball, this Cowboys offense is absolutely loaded with weapons. While I mentioned having to pass the ball 58 times isn’t a recipe for consistent success, having a receiver corps boasting the likes of Cooper, Lamb and Gallop is a frightening prospect when they do go to the air. The Chargers are also without the experienced Chris Harris at corner and have their work cut out for them to keep Dak from firing bombs at will.

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline: Dallas 11/8 Los Angeles 6/10
Over/Under: 54.5
Spread: Los Angeles -3

23/10 for both Herbert and Dak to throw for 300+ yards seems to be too good to be true. Prescott is also 11/1 to have 2 passing TD’s in each half. Given Mike McCarthy’s love of passing the ball, that’s excellent value.

I’d lean heavily on there being more than 55 points here too.

VERDICT:

Both these teams are in the ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ bracket as far as I’m concerned. I don’t have a lot of trust in either. I have long been a doubter of Dak Prescott’s ability to elevate the Cowboys, and while the Buccs game was his best by a country mile, I need to see him do that more consistently before I change my tune. Chargers flatter to deceive nearly every year too, especially with their inability to stay clear of crippling injury issues. This is really a toss up. I’ll take the Cowboys to do what they do best and find a way to lose. Chargers by 4

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WEEK 2: 6:00pm: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

We had a predictably unpredictable week 1 in the NFL last weekend now we roll on to week 2. The 6pm game live on Sky Sports this Sunday sees the San Francisco 49ers travel to the Philadelphia Eagles, with both aiming at starting out the season at 2-0. The 49ers had a late scare after taking a convincing lead against the Detroit Lions last week and Kyle Shanahan will hope for a more complete performance this time out. No such drama for the Eagles who took care of a poor Atlanta Falcons effort with ease.

Key Battles:

Eagles Defensive Line vs Niners Offensive Line: The 49ers Offense have made their living out of getting top production out of a stable of almost random running backs. Along side Shanahan’s creative genius, another big reason for this is the platform their Offensive Line provides them. They face an experienced and talented Eagles Defensive line who won’t be in any mood to take a backwards step. This could be a really enjoyable battle for those who love some good old fashioned trench warfare.

The Turnover Battle: I think this will will feature in my game previews quite regularly over the course of the season, for obvious reasons. Turnovers can win/lose you games and can provide massive momentum shifts when needed. While Philly played a relatively mistake-free game in week 1, they didn’t manage to produce a turnover. Against what should be much stiffer competition this time around they may need to engineer opportunities through turnovers.

The Eagles Offense vs the Chains: Jalen Hurts looked pretty comfortable in Atlanta. But rest assured, if the Eagles fall behind the chains and give the Niners pass rush opportunities to come after him in long distance scenarios, he will have a much more stressful afternoon that last Sunday. If they can stay on track and be able to have a healthy balance of pass and run to keep the San Fran pass rush guessing, they have a chance in this one.

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline: San Francisco 13/20 Philadelphia 5/4
Over/Under: 49.5
Spread: San Fran -3

PP are offering 3/1 on the Patriots, 49ers, Browns and Broncos all to win this week. I’ll be having some of that myself.

12/1 on DaVonta Smith for 1^st TD is good value too in my opinion.

VERDICT:

The Eagles were impressive in their first outing under new Head Coach Nick Siriani, and if they can play at anything like the same level again here, this will be a major test for the Niners. For me, that’s a massive ‘IF’ though and I expect the 49ers to expose a lot more chinks in the Eagles armour than the Falcons could. I also expect to see a bit more of Brandon Aiyuk, who was non existent against Detroit. Their Defense come in with a point to prove after that game too and I think they have too much for Philadelphia to handle if they get their you know what together. I’m taking the 49ers by 12

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Key Battles:

Can the Browns get pressure on Pat Mahomes: In an almost identical situation to the earlier game, we have a team having to rely on their nasty defensive front to chaos total chaos. And like with the Steelers with TJ Watt, the Browns are armed with a game changer at pass rusher in Myles Garrett. Tampa Bay laid out the blue print to halting the KC juggernaut in the SuperBowl in February and the Brown are potentially one of the few teams who can follow it. But the Chiefs have completely rebuilt the offensive line that got torn to shreds in that game. This will be a tough 1st test for that unit.

Can Cleveland keep the KC defense on the field and offense off it? We all know by now just how explosive this Chiefs offense can be. One way to negate that problem is by limiting their opportunities to get on the field. If the Browns can take the pace out of the game with slow, time consuming drives that wear down the Chiefs defense and keep Mahomes and his buddies on the sideline for much of the game, they have a great shot at a win. If they let the Chiefs build a head of steam though, it could be a long day.

Can KC stop Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt? Essentially an extension of the previous point. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have a legit claim to being the league’s best 1-2 punch at running back. And if Cleveland can establish a dominant ground attack early, it will provide Baker Mayfield a great platform to run those play actions and RPO’s to keep them off balance. Kansas City will need to be tuned in right from the off.

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline:                 Cleveland 2/1                  Kansas City 2/5
Over/Under:              54.5
Spread:                      Kansas City -5.5

Swing for the fences bet: Austin Hooper 1st TD + Tyreek Hill 2nd TD 100/1

Prediction

Recent history tells us that losing SuperBowl finalists struggle to find their way back, but my gut tells me Kansas City are an exception to that rule. I feel like that SuperBowl may have had the opposite effect on them, and only made their resolve even stronger. An emphatic win over a very strong Cleveland side would send out a marker to the rest of the league. But that will be easier said than done here. The Browns aren’t coming to make up the numbers and they have enough fire power to cause a lot of problems. I’m going to go with the Kansas City revenge tour getting off to a good start though with an 8 point win

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Key Battles:

Steelers Pass Rush vs Bills Protection: You probably don’t need me or anyone else to tell you that the Steelers defensive gameplan must centre around getting pressure on Josh Allen. I lost count how many times last season I saw the Bills come up with massive plays when Allen had all day to move around in the pocket and let loose with that rocket he has for an arm. But he will be hunted down by one of the best defensive fronts in football, including of course, TJ Watt. Should be a mouthwatering battle.

The Turnover Battle: One of the oldest cliches in football, win the turnover battle. The Steelers were excellent in this regard last season and they will be looking to pick up where they left off, 1 of the 4 teams that led the league in interceptions with 18.

Steelers Ground and Pound vs Bills Run Defense: While Thursday Night’s season curtain raiser was an aerial assault from start to finish, the Steelers will probably try to avoid getting into that type of game. Look for Alabama alum Najee Harris to try to set the tone early in this one as Pittsburgh revert back to the smashmouth style that served them so well down their history. The Bill run defense are no pushovers however, even if they are without Nose Tackle Star Lotulelei who was due back after opting out of last season.

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline:                 Pittsburgh 23/10 Buffalo 1/3
Over/Under:              48.5
Spread:                      Buffalo -6.5

If you fancy swinging for the fences, you can get Najee Harris at 66/1 to score the 1st and last TD. Stefon Diggs is at 50/1 for the same bet.

Prediction

Hate trying to predict week 1 games, the good teams haven’t hit their stride yet and the weaker teams haven’t had the optimism beaten out of them yet. I do believe the Bills are the more talented team and are rightly favourites, but Pittsburgh are a lively underdog at 23/10.

If the Steelers get ahead and get the run game established early, it could be a tough day for the Bills. I wouldn’t fancy falling behind and being in a position where Watt and co. can pin their ears back and take aim at Josh Allen. Even though I have Buffalo tipped to win the Lombardi this year, put me down for the week 1 upset here. Steelers by 3

A Twitter List by IrishScoresGAA

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The final will be held at Croke Park on Saturday, 19th June at 5:00 pm.

It will be the only National Football League final played before the Championship begins, unless there are any changes.

The fixture will be part of the Government’s pilot testing programme and 2,400 spectators will benefit from that.

Analysis

The two sides have already earned promotions to Division Two after their impressive seasons in Division Three North and South respectively.

Derry capped off an impressive second league campaign under former Fermanagh boss Rory Gallagher with a win over Limerick.

Offaly completed the same feat with their victory over Fermanagh.

Derry will come into the game as favourites after dominating Division Three North, registering a points difference of +41 over their four games.

Their defending has looked well-instructed and orderly.

Furthermore, the pace of Ethan and Conor Doherty troubled opposition defences and will be something to keep an eye on this weekend.

Full-forward Shane McGuigan will be another threat that the Offaly defence will have to deal with.

A 2-26 (32) haul in his first four games of 2021 paints a picture of a man on a mission.

Half-forward Niall Loughlin offers a quality second option for Derry in the final third.

Derry’s blistering attack will go up against an Offaly defence that allowed 59 points across their four games.

Prone to error, the Offaly backs will have their work cut out for them if they are to contain the Derry forwards.

Their lapses in concentration against sides such as Wicklow are examples of the holes Derry can expose on Saturday evening.

Joe Maher and veteran Niall McNamee are serviceable scoring options for Faithful County.

The latter has been Offaly’s go-to off the bench and has got some important scores for the side.

However, Offaly’s chances are more reliant on their defence’s concentration.

They could find it to be a step too far against a Derry side firing on all cylinders.

Prediction: Derry by 5.

Odds

Derry 2/5

Draw 8/1

Offaly 5/2

A Twitter List by IrishScoresGAA

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