The NFL is no stranger to the English capital, in fact, the Dolphins are set to play their fifth game in London since 2007, when they were defeated 13-10 by the New York Giants.
Their upcoming opponents, The Jacksonville Jaguars have since become somewhat London favorites and see themselves travel to the capital for the eighth time; the most of any NFL franchise.
The Jaguars cross the pond with a current record this season of zero wins and five losses following a 37-19 defeat to the Titans last week. A defeat which saw them lose their 20th straight game, the first time a Franchise has seen that happen in 44 years.
The Future Of Jacksonville
However, after throwing for seven interceptions in the first three games of his NFL career, the number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence has begun to look like the player The Jaguars envisioned he could be. Last week The Jaguars Quarterback threw for 273 yards and scored a combined two touchdowns.
He will look to continue his rise in form against a Dolphins defence that has struggled all season long. The Dolphins are currently allowing their opponents 30.8 points per game which is the third-worst in the NFL.
A Tough Start
On the opposing side despite an off-season full of hope following their first double-digit win season in five years, The Miami Dolphins also enter the capital with a losing record of 1-4, after getting blown out by Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45-17 in the previous week.
Who Starts For Miami?
Similarly, to their opponents, the Dolphins will hope the man at Quarterback could push a change in fortunes.
After breaking his ribs in a Week two loss to the Buffalo Bills, Tua Tagovailoa could be approaching a return. Tua was officially designated to return to practice from injured reserve on Tuesday and Dolphins Head Coach, Brian Flores, said earlier this week that Tua was ‘trending in the right direction to play.
Injury Worries
Tua’s return couldn’t have come at a much better time as the man that has replaced him during his injury, Jacoby Brissett, is an injury doubt himself following a hamstring issue he picked up in last week’s game.
However, the Dolphins’ injury issues don’t end there, as both starting Wide receiver DeVante Parker and staring Cornerback Xavien Howard did not participate at training on Wednesday.
Parker is still struggling with both the shoulder and hamstring issue which saw him miss the game against Tampa Bay, while Howard is dealing with both a shoulder and groin issue.
Jaguars injury report showed their wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr and star linebacker Myles Jack also did not participate, due to a personal issue and a back injury respectively.
Despite both teams’ poor starts to the season, the energy brought by the English fans in London always seem to inspire great competition on the field, and hopefully, that will not be different on this occasion.
The game is set to kick off at 2.30 pm this Sunday in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
