JACKSONVILLE – Each week during the 2024 season, Jaguars "experts" – Tony Boselli, Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Kainani Stevens – will analyze the following day's Jaguars matchup.
Up this week:
The Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Tony Boselli, Jaguars Analyst and Former Jaguars Left Tackle
- The Jaguars will win if: They establish the run early to take pressure off Lawrence and the passing game. The Bears have one of the better pass defenses in the NFL, so being one-dimensional won't work. Defensively the Jags must pressure Williams. If he has time, he's very effective but he likes to hold the ball.
- The Bears will win if: They protect Williams and allow him to get comfortable in the pocket. The Bears' offense has struggled when the quarterback is pressured, leading to turnovers and negative plays. Defensively, they must take away the Jaguars' run game.
- As Boselli sees it: This will be a tough, close game. The Jaguars are coming off their first win of the season and should have confidence coming over to London. Jaguars 24, Bears 21.
Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars
- The Jaguars will win if: They stick with the formula that got them their first win last week. The deep throws to Thomas and wide receiver Christian Kirk are there. And they lead to running lanes for Bigsby and Etienne. Lawrence was terrific — he found a rhythm. The key is to keep that going.
- The Bears will win if: They stay hot as well. Williams was very good against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday. This could be a matchup of two young guns. And Moore is the Bears' answer to Thomas.
- As Frangie sees it: Both teams gained some confidence from their performances last week. Both can throw it around. Both are improving on defense. The key might be that most of the Jags' players are familiar with the trip to London while the Bears' players are not. That could be the difference in a close game.
Jeff Lageman, Jaguars Analyst and Former Jaguars Defensive End
- The Jaguars will win if: They continue the high-level performance of the offense. Lawrence had a masterful game versus the Colts and that must continue to beat the Bears.
- The Bears will win if: They win the turnover battle. Williams has been protecting the ball well the last two weeks and if he continues to do so, they will continue to win.
- As Lageman sees it: This is a tough game that is evenly matched with two former No. 1 overall picks leading the way. Williams is special with his ability to extend plays and will stress the Jaguars' defense. The Jaguars' defense better figure some things out after the late-game collapse against the Colts. The Jaguars' offense must perform at a high level again to get this one
Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director
- The Jaguars will win if: they win time of possession. They have yet to do this in 2024 and while the explosive plays have been good, this might be a sustained-drive kind of game.The Bears have been weak stopping the run so if the Jaguars can do that successfully, they should control the tempo of the game and get the win.
- The Bears will win if: they score 24 points or more. Chicago's magic number has actually been 21 points over the better part of the last year. The defense doesn't usually allow more than 21 points so the math works out for the Bears if they can put some points on the scoreboard. The Jaguars have allowed an opening drive touchdown in four straight games.
- As Martineau sees it: This is a tough game to pick, but let's play the trends. The Jaguars might have found something last week and we all know they should be better than 1-4. The Bears are good, but not great and also missing some key players on defense while the Jaguars return tight end Evan Engram. The Jaguars do enough and win in October for a seventh straight time, 27-22.
John Oehser, jaguars.com Senior Writer
- The Jaguars will win if: The offensive line continues to improve and the defensive line can harass – and contain – Williams. The Jaguars' offense has been more potent in the last two games than it was in the previous three. It's no coincidence that those are the offensive line's best two games of the season.
- The Bears will win if: Williams escapes pressure and turns opportunities into big plays. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft is showing special traits and already is capable of turning a disaster into opportunity. He's the sort of player who can hurt a defense even when the defense plays well.
- As Oehser sees it: This is a tough matchup for the Jaguars – primarily because the Bears are much better than most teams with a rookie quarterback selected No. 1 overall. The defense must have its best game of the season and the Jaguars must again make London an advantage.
Brian Sexton, jaguars.com Senior Correspondent
- The Jaguars will win if: They run as well as they did against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts the last two weeks. It's no coincidence that the offensive line has kept quarterback Trevor Lawrence clean in the pocket the last two games and they were outstanding on the ground. The ability to control the tempo and keep the Bears' aggressive defense honest will rest largely on running backs Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby, who powered an offense that averaged almost six yards per carry the last two weeks. If Lawrence has the time in the pocket he has had the last two weeks, the offense will do its job and the Jaguars will win.
- The Bears will win if: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is comfortable in his surroundings at Tottenham. It's easy to see why the Bears were so comfortable with him as their top pick. He's unflappable and very comfortable moving in the pocket – or taking the ball outside the pocket and making something happen on the move. The Jaguars' defensive front won't have a target in the pocket like they did with Colts quarterback Joe Flacco last week unless they can keep him in there. If Williams has time to throw, he's starting to show the ability to get the job done and likely will.
- As Sexton sees it: The Jaguars are a more veteran team with a history in London and should be able to stack a few wins. They were built to compete for a playoff spot this season and know that if they have any chance at all, they must take advantage of the opportunity in the United Kingdom against a couple of rookie quarterbacks. It starts on Sunday, and I think they know what they need to do and are up to the challenge.
J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com Senior Reporter
- The Jaguars will win if: They continue the offensive production like last week. It started with a clean pocket for Lawrence, which set up big plays down the field. The Bears have defensive talent up front, so this will be a test. When Lawrence, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and Bigsby all have career days, that should spell an easy win. However, the defense struggled in the fourth quarter on the back end last week. Don't let Williams get comfortable, and don't let these veteran Bears playmakers like D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Cole Kmet fool you.
- The Bears will win if: Williams has time to pitch it around to his veteran group of playmakers, and his confidence continues to rise. If the Jaguars don't hit him early and often, that confidence could continue to rise. Since 1970, No. 1 pick rookie quarterbacks are 0-5 when facing the 32nd-ranked pass defense (like the Jaguars), meaning it historically has been a "get-right" game of sorts for the defensive unit.
- As Shadrick sees it: Let's see how the Jags settle in after a slight delay leaving Jacksonville after Hurricane Milton going into this week's game. The Bears have been here most of the week already and should be well adjusted by Sunday. The Jaguars won both London games last year, the start of a five-game winning streak that included wins in five different stadiums in five weeks, spanning six time zones and two continents. For the Jaguars, this would be a perfect time to build another streak to try to climb back in the race.
Kainani Stevens, Jaguars Team Reporter
- The Jaguars will win if: They continue building off what they did last week against the Colts. Confidence is crucial to success for this team – and now that they have finally won a game, I'm hoping that will start a winning streak.
- The Bears will win if: Williams can withstand the pass rush and deliver to his receivers. The Jaguars' secondary has been a weak spot this season. If Williams can avoid the pressure and deliver on his throws, the Bears will have a good shot at the win,.
- As Stevens sees it: Sometimes all it takes is one. Jags make it two in a row with a win in their first game in London.