JAGS LOSE LOSERS TAG

Ravens demolished at Wembley

JACKSONVILLE have spent more years than they care to remember as the NFL poster boys for losers.

But many more displays like this one and they can start preparing for play-off football in north-east Florida.

An 84,592 crowd filled Wembley, expecting to see the Baltimore defence dominate but instead witnessed an impressive Jaguars defence terrorise Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

Quarterback Blake Bortles threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Marcedes Lewis, as the Jags won for the third year running in London. The Jags jumped to a 23-0 lead by half-time, on the back of touchdown passes from Bortles to Lewis and Allen Hurns, and three field goals from Jason Myers.

Any hopes Baltimore had of a second-half turnaround were quickly dashed when Lewis caught his second touchdown of the day from Bortles – a 30-yarder – to stretch the lead to 30-0.

Lewis completed his hat-trick with a fouryard pass from Bortles and Leonard Fournette ran in Jacksonville’s fifth score to make it 44-0.

Flacco was replaced by Ryan Mallett, who gave Ravens’ fans something to cheer when he threw a consolation six-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson.

The game was the first one played following the row between President Trump and NFL owners.

Trump had called for players to be fired if they continued the “Take A Knee” protest, that sees them kneel during the national anthem in protest at racial oppression. Many of the 32 owners, as well as the league management, rounded on the President and a group of Ravens took a knee in defiance during The Star Spangled Banner.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan linked arms with his players (below) on the sideline in a show of solidarity against Trump.