3 Observations on Jaguars Drawing Rams in London

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to play the Los Angeles Rams in London this season, giving the Jaguars a marquee opponent for their annual overseas contest.

But what do we make of the Jaguars getting the Rams for their international series in 2025? We break it down below.

This will be an early benchmark test

For a Jaguars team that will want to compete for a playoff spot and AFC South crown in 2025, we should quickly know what kind of season it will be by the time the Rams game draws to a close. With this game firmly near the middle of the season in Week 7, the Jaguars should know early on how far away they are from being a problem for the rest of the NFL.

Simply put, the Rams are one of the best teams on the Jaguars' entire schedule. They are the obvious No. 2 team in the NFC behind the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles, and they are really not that far behind the Eagles. We will learn a lot about Liam Coen's team in this game.

The narrative and storylines for this game are clear

Student vs. master is one of the best narratives in story-telling today and, frankly, throughout the history of mankind. The apprentice taking on his teacher to show that not only has he learned all of his lessons, but that he has surpassed even him. That is what Jaguars vs. Rams will boil down to, making this one of the most intriguing games of the season.

All corners of the current Jaguars regime point toward the Rams; Sean McVay gave Liam Coen his first NFL job, and Les Snead did the same for James Gladstone. Watching the pupils face off against arguably the best head coach/general manager duo in the NFL will be must-see as a result of their ties.

Jaguars get a lucky break

The Jaguars didn't need to hear Tuesday's announcement to know they were not going to play two games in London this year -- that was already known since the Jaguars do not have the other two London teams on the road schedule this season. With that said, they still get a relatively lucky break compared to past Jaguars trips.

Not only are the Jaguars avoiding going to London for back-to-back games for the first time since 2022, they are also facing a Rams team that has seen a long trip just turn into the longest in Rams history (tied with their 2019 visit). This worked out well for the Jaguars.