London games have a way of making the NFL feel a little upside down. While most fans back home are still waking up and figuring out what goes with their coffee, the Jaguars and Eagles will be kicking off at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday on NFL Network.

For Jacksonville, this isn’t new territory. The Jaguars will be playing their 15th game in London. This will be the Eagles' second trip across the pond.

That doesn’t make Tottenham Hotspur Stadium some kind of teal-and-black Lambeau Field. Jacksonville's only 7-7 in London, which is a pretty ordinary record for a relationship the franchise has spent more than a decade building. Still, the Jaguars know the flight, the routine, and the strange rhythm that comes with playing a game on the other side of the Atlantic.

London Is More Than A Yearly Field Trip For Jacksonville

The Jaguars have played in London every season since 2013, except for 2020, when the international schedule was canceled. They have UK marketing rights and a year-round business operation there. So for one weekend every fall, London isn't just a novelty tacked onto Jacksonville's schedule. It's genuinely become a part of who the franchise is.

This trip takes it a step further. After playing Philadelphia at Tottenham, Jacksonville will stay in England and face Houston at Wembley the next Sunday before taking their bye. It'll be the third time the Jaguars have played back-to-back games in London, and they won both games the first time they did it in 2023.

But experience isn't the same thing as invincibility. Jacksonville spent a full week in London last season and got flattened 35-7 by the Rams. The Jaguars' 7-7 record there shows you the routine can take some of the uncertainty out of the trip, but it can't block a pass rusher or save a bad third down.

Philadelphia's going the other way. The Eagles will practice at home all week, fly Friday, and get there less than 36 hours before kickoff. Nick Sirianni said the team looked at their options and thinks showing up late gives them the best chance to win. It also allows the Eagles to keep a normal practice week during an injury pileup and get right back home for Carolina in Week 6.

There isn't one foolproof way to beat jet lag. Full adjustment can take about a day per time zone, but teams have won after being there early and after being there late. The Eagles aren't trying to become Londoners by Sunday. They're keeping their bodies on Philadelphia time, playing a morning game, and getting out.

Why The NFL Keeps Coming Back

London’s moved well past the proof-of-concept stage. The city had already hosted 45 regular-season games before this year, and three more are on the 2026 schedule. This matchup is part of a league-record nine international games spread across seven countries.

Tottenham is probably the clearest example of where this is headed. The stadium has an NFL field tucked underneath a retractable soccer pitch, along with facilities built specifically for football. The league’s agreement runs through 2029-30 and guarantees at least two games a year. This isn’t the NFL awkwardly squeezing a field into somebody else’s building anymore.

For U.S. viewers, it also creates the league’s favorite thing: another TV window. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. in London and 9:30 a.m. Eastern, which means breakfast football can roll right into the rest of Sunday. It’s a little ridiculous. It’s also pretty great.

Jacksonville Has To Keep The Game On Schedule

The Jaguars come in at 3-1 and look like the more complete team right now. They’ve outscored opponents 104-53 and haven’t let anyone score more than three points in the first half. The defense has eight takeaways, and Trevor Lawrence has completed 69.2% of his passes for 843 yards, eight touchdowns, and just two interceptions.

The bigger thing is that Jacksonville isn’t asking Lawrence to live in third-and-forever. The offense has converted 52.3% of their third downs, which is a pretty good sign that things are staying on schedule. Bhayshul Tuten has 277 rushing yards, and Parker Washington, Brenton Strange, Jakobi Meyers, and Brian Thomas Jr. have all topped 100 receiving yards. That kind of balance is exactly what Liam Coen wants this offense to look like.

The Eagles’ defensive front is the group to watch, mostly because their reputation has been stronger than their production so far. Philadelphia has Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt, but the Eagles only have four sacks through four games and rank last in quarterback-hit rate. If Carter can collapse the middle and knock Lawrence off his spot before Jacksonville’s routes have time to develop, the Eagles can make this look like the physical mismatch most people thought this would be. But if Lawrence gets to operate on time, Jacksonville has too many ways to move the ball.

Philadelphia Can't Afford Another Slow Morning

The Eagles are 2-2 after back-to-back losses, and travel is just one thing they’ve got to deal with. They managed 172 yards and went 0-for-12 on third down against the Rams. Saquon Barkley's week-to-week with a hamstring injury, DeVonta Smith's still working his way back from one of his own, and Lane Johnson abruptly retired Tuesday. Rookie Markel Bell is stepping in for a right tackle who led the league in pass-block win rate before playing his final game.

That doesn’t erase Philadelphia’s ceiling. Jalen Hurts has played on the biggest stages in the sport. And the Eagles have won both of their international games, including a 24-18 win over Jacksonville at Wembley in 2018.

But the team heading to London isn’t being asked to protect a dominant offense. They're being asked to find one.

Right now, Jacksonville's playing better football. If Lawrence can stay on his feet and the Jaguars can keep Hurts chasing third down, London won’t feel like a neutral site.

It’ll feel like what Jacksonville has spent 13 years trying to build: a second home.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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