Patriots in London: A look at New England’s previous international games

FOXBORO — The Patriots are going international in Week 7. The team from New England is heading to “old” England, with a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

It’s not exactly a marquee NFL matchup, as both teams sit at 1-5 on the season. The Patriots have lost five straight, but at least there is a little hope and upside following an impressive first career start from Drake Maye in Week 6.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, are an absolute mess and may have to give some serious consideration toward benching Trevor Lawrence. The fourth-year quarterback has completed just 60 percent of his passes this season, with three interceptions and two lost fumbles. Lawrence has lost 10 of his last 11 starts for Jacksonville.

Benching Lawrence would give the football world a Drake Maye vs. Mac Jones showdown on Sunday, which would certainly make Sunday’s game a lot more interesting from a New England standpoint.  Jones has made two relief appearance so far this season — including last week to close out a loss to the Chicago Bears in London — with the former Patriot completing six of his nine passes for 28 yards while taking two sacks.

Sunday’s tilt with the Jaguars will be New England’s third game at London’s Wembley Stadium since 2009, and the franchise’s fifth international game overall. The Patriots have also played three preseason games in Canada and one in Mexico City.

The Pats were undefeated in their regular season games outside of the United States until last season. Here’s a trip down memory lane as we revisit New England’s past trips around the globe.

2009: Tom Brady, Patriots crush the Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium

New England’s first international game came back in 2009, when the Patriots trounced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35-7. Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and 308 yards, while the New England defense had three interceptions — including a pick-six from safety Brandon Meriweather for the game’s first points.

That trip across the pond was where Meriweather also gave his famous “Big Bang Clock” soundbite. 

2012: Brady, Patriots roll to another easy win at Wembley Stadium

The Patriots were back at Wembley in 2012 and they once again stomped their competition. The Patriots crushed the then-St. Louis Rams to the tune of 45-7 on four touchdown passes by Brady. Rob Gronkowski caught eight passes that afternoon for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Gronk even treated London fans to a “Marching of the Guards” celebration before delivering one of his famous spikes after one of his touchdowns.

Gronkowski has said that was one of his favorite touchdown celebrations from his career. 

Stevan Ridley also ran for a pair of scores as the Patriots took a 28-7 lead into halftime. The Patriots haven’t been back to London since, but that will change on Sunday. 

2017: Brady, Patriots stomp Raiders in Mexico City

The Patriots also won big on the international stage in 2017 when they took on the then-Oakland Raiders at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It was another dominant performance from Brady, who completed 30 of his 37 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns. That included a fairly effortless 64-yard touchdown strike to receiver Brandin Cooks.

New England led 30-0 before Oakland found the end zone early in the fourth quarter.  

2023: Patriots embarrassed by Colts in Germany

This was just a bad, bad football game all around. The Patriots trailed 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, and that deficit felt insurmountable. 

But New England had a chance late in the fourth quarter — until Mac Jones threw one of the worst interceptions you’ll ever see. 

That was Mac’s final throw of the day, as Bailey Zappe came in for New England’s final drive. Zappe tried to hit the Colts with a fake snap in the final minute, but his desperation heave to DeMario Douglas was easily picked off to end any comeback hopes for New England. 

That loss dropped the Patriots to 2-8, and essentially sealed Bill Belichick’s fate at the end of the season. Jones got one more start — a 10-7 road loss to the Giants — before he was benched for good.

2024: Patriots vs. Jaguars at Wembley Stadium

At least Wembley has been very kind to the Patriots, though that Tom Brady guy likely had something to do with the team’s success in past visits. 

Sunday’s game will be the 13th for the Jaguars in London, with Jacksonville sporting a 6-6 record in the UK. The Jaguars have been overseas since last week, and were trounced by the Chicago Bears, 35-16, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 6.

Maye and the New England offense should be able to move the ball on Sunday, with the Jags defense allowing an average of 390 yards per game this season, ranking 31st in the NFL. Jacksonville is surrendering 29.7 points per game, which also ranks 31st in the league.

The Patriots won’t leave for London until Thursday night.

Get ready for Sunday’s Patriots-Jaguars game in London with WBZ-TV — your flagship station of the New England Patriots. It starts Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. with Patriots 1st Down on TV38 and streaming on CBSBoston.com. Coverage kicks off Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 8 a.m. (which you can also stream on CBSBoston.com), and switch to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!