Dolphins Announced As Jaguars’ Week 6 Opponent in London
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be hosting an intrastate rival in 2021 when they make their annual trek to London for the NFL's international series.
The Miami Dolphins were announced by the NFL on Tuesday as the Jaguars' opponent at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The game will be in Week 6, held at 9:30 a.m. ET on October 17.
“The Jaguars are honored to return to London, our home away from home, and continue in our mission to grow the NFL and promote Jacksonville in the UK and beyond,” Jaguars team owner Shad Khan said in a release.
“With Urban Meyer as our head coach, we’ll be arriving with an entirely new look and attitude that I’m confident will meet the approval of our Union Jax supporters. I’m also hoping that many of our loyal fans in Jacksonville can join us in London for a great experience and to ratchet up the homefield advantage. Go Jags!”
The Jaguars have had an established relationship playing overseas since Khan bought the team nine years ago. The Jaguars played an annual home game in London since 2013, with 2020 being the lone exception. The Jaguars agreed to host two home games in London in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to all international series games being canceled.
The Jaguars will be playing their eighth home game in London, while the Dolphins will play in the UK for the fifth time, and second time as the road team. The Jaguars are 3-4 in London and haven't won a game there since a 44-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in 2017.
In 2018, the Jaguars lost 24-18 to the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2019, the Jaguars fell in a 26-3 blowout loss to the Houston Texans.
"We are excited to be returning to London and welcoming back our fans for two great matchups,” said Christopher Halpin, NFL Executive Vice-President—Chief Strategy & Growth Officer. “We expect these games to be a celebration of our sport and our robust UK fan base.
“We have been working closely with the UK government, the city of London and the relevant health organizations over the past year in planning the games. Through their successful vaccine rollout and commitment to bringing crowds back to sports events, the time is right for the return of NFL football this fall. We will continue to monitor the COVID environment, putting health and safety first, and will adhere to any and all future COVID regulations and restrictions.”
While the Jaguars are losing a home game to London, they do have nine home games this season, meaning eight games will be played in front of local fans in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars and Dolphins last played in Week 3 in 2020, with the Dolphins blowing the Jaguars out 31-13 on Thursday Night Football. Now, each team will start a different quarterback, going from Gardner Minshew and Ryan Fitzpatrick to Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa.
