Dan Rorabaugh|Florida Times-Union
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The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-5 and on a 20-game losing streak, approaching the worst in NFL history. The Miami Dolphins are 1-4, having lost four straight in what was supposed to be a promising 2021 season.
Two of the worst teams in the NFL face each other in London on Sunday in what NFL experts expect to be a rude awakening for football fans in America. Urban Meyer is still in search of his first NFL win, and he could get it against a Dolphins team coming off a blowout loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could give the Dolphins a boost, however, as the 2020 No. 5 overall pick is expected to return after missing three weeks with a fractured rib.
Postgame recap: Jaguars end losing streak, beat Dolphins in London on Matthew Wright kick
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From last week: The best Urban Meyer jokes during the Jaguars' loss to the Titans
National reporters and analysts predicting the London game are split between the two, though they agree that it's a brutal matchup to start an NFL Sunday.Here's what they had to say:
Vinnie Iyer,Sporting News:Dolphins 24-22 (fail to cover the spread)
Do we really need to get up early in the morning to see two Florida beach teams play on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? No, but it's still football and aqua and teal are quite pleasing colors. Miami is the better-coached team with Brian Flores and even though Jacksonville will gash the "visitor"with second-year running back James Robinson, their head-scratching passing game with Trevor Lawrence will hit some lumps. The Dolphins will counter with more creative offense around Jacoby Brissett while Urban Meyer finds a new continent in which to botch an NFL game plan.
Gary Davenport,Bleacher Report: Dolphins 24-23
Given the teams involved in this year's London games, the NFL is apparently trying to make the British hate American football. The Dolphins and Jaguars are bad teams with major issues on both sides of the ball, although Miami hopes to have quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back for this one. Still, in this battle of blah, I'll take the points—and keep the Pepto Bismol nearby while watching the game.
Will Brinson,CBS Sports: Jaguars 21-18
This matchup is a little bit like taking a giant platter of Chick-Fil-A nuggets, putting them on a ship to England with zero refrigeration and serving them up to the Brits while explaining how this is one of our country's favorite foods. There does appear to be a good chance we'll be showing off two top-tier young quarterbacks in Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence. The Jags remain winless but it might be Miami who is more desperate here. The chatter about the Dolphins giving up a potential top-five or top-10 to the Eagles -- courtesy of the Jaylen Waddle pre-draft trade -- is growing more loud with each passing week. The Jags have a better built-in fanbase overseas, but Miami is still the favorite on this neutral site game. Weird things happen in these London games, so I'm going to begrudgingly take the points with two terrible teams and back the Jags and Trevor Lawrence here.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Jaguars 23-20
Florida has one of the best teams in football, and two of the worst. The loser of their London date officially becomes the Sunshine State’s unofficial slug. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I think the Jaguars will finally get a long-awaited win.
Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Jaguars 16-15
The best thing to happen to Urban Meyer last week was Jon Gruden. The second best thing is having this game played in London. The Dolphins have lost four in a row and are averaging 15.8 points. The Jaguars, the AFC’s only winless team, average 16.6 ppg.
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com:Dolphins 27-20
It's going to be a long flight back from London for one of these teams, who each have to see this week's opponent as a potential port in the storm. If nothing else, Urban Meyer's running game is humming sinceJames Robinsonheated up, averaging 165 yards on the ground in the last three weeks. But the Jacksonville defense is lost and the offense is relying onTavon AustinandJamal Agnewtoo much at wideout. If Brian Flores' D can't cook up big mistakes fromTrevor Lawrence, then this Dolphins rebuild is in even rougher shape than I thought.
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Jaguars 30-27
The Jaguars are going to hear about a 20-game losing streak all the way to London. Both defenses allow more than 30 points per game, and the Jaguars have the worst turnover differential in the league. If Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is going to win his first start, then it might as well be in the most-unlikely place.
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Dolphins 21-20
Another garbage game for the London fans. I don’t think I’d pick the Jaguars to beat anyone right now, but if there’s one team they could beat, it would be the Dolphins.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Dolphins 24-20
These two need a victory in the worst way, with one between them heading into this game. The Dolphins might have quarterbackTua Tagovailoaback, which will help their cause. The Jaguars have lost 20 straight. The Dolphins defense was shredded by Tom Brady last week, butTrevor Lawrenceis far from Brady and doesn't have the same types of weapons. Miami will end its four-game losing streak.
