Eagles vs. Jaguars: Three must-know storylines for NFL Week 5 London game

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be the crossroads for two teams heading in drastically different directions just a quarter of the way through the 2026 NFL season.

About to play 26 of their next 30 regular-season games away from home, the Jaguars, in their record 15th U.K. appearance, are set to host the Eagles for the second time in London. Philadelphia beat Jacksonville in 2018, but there is little connective tissue from that game to either squad playing on Sunday, save for Eagles K Jake Elliott and TE Zach Ertz.

This year's Jaguars are winners of two straight, dispatching of AFC rivals New England and Cincinnati in impressive fashion. Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off a pitiful performance against the Rams, in which Jalen Hurts' offense went 0-for-12 on third down and subsequently lost a number of starters to injury, trade (!) and retirement (!!).

Though these 2025 division winners' trajectories may currently seem opposed, when Jacksonville and Philadelphia clash Sunday on the prime meridian, the game can go either way.

Three must-know storylines

1) Are Jaguars most complete team in AFC?

Liam Coen made a point this summer to call out the supposed disrespect his Jaguars get from the national media, bemoaning the team's lack of coverage.

Well, here the Jags are -- in their first of two straight solo windows on what amounts to home turf against an NFC stalwart. Will they re-introduce themselves to the world as true Super Bowl contenders?

Last time Duval was in London, it was in a similar scenario, and the Jaguars got their doors blown off by the Rams, 35-7. Since that international letdown, Coen's Jags have gone 12-3 (including postseason) and played as well as any organization in football.

This season, Jacksonville is the only team in the NFL that has allowed 20 or fewer points in every game. Its eight takeaways are tied for second-most in the NFL, with 2025 second overall pick Travis Hunter providing his first career interception a couple weeks ago.

On offense, the Jags are spreading the wealth as the only team in the league with five players boasting at least two touchdowns through four weeks. Jacksonville also paces the NFL with a league-low four three-and-outs so far this season.

Jacksonville isn't without its weaknesses. It ranks 31st in passing yards per game allowed (perhaps a credit to its big leads taken against Cleveland and New England) and has started games better than it's finished them.

But at 3-1, sitting atop an underperforming AFC South division, the Jaguars can stake a claim through one-fourth of the season as one of the league's best teams. Will they prove it to an international audience on Sunday?

2) Will Eagles' new-look offensive line answer the Bell?

What a difference a week makes.

In the days after Philadlephia posted just 172 total yards of offense, its offensive line endured major upheaval. First came Cam Jurgens entering concussion protocol on Monday. Then it was the shock wave of Lane Johnson's abrupt retirement on Tuesday, followed by Jurgens being shipped to Baltimore on Wednesday in a trade that netted Philly a valuable 2028 second-rounder.

Seemingly overnight, the O-line has taken a new shape, and there's no telling how it will play in its first game under the spotlight.

The new arrangement features, in order, left tackle Jordan Mailata, the elder statesman at 29; second-year left guard Willie Lampkin; second-year center Drew Kendall; right guard Tyler Steen; and rookie right tackle Markel Bell, who surely hopes to be uncrackable in his new role, as opposed to Philly's other famous bell.

Some have seen the Jurgens trade as the Eagles giving up on the 2026 season, sending a versatile starter away for picks. But Howie Roseman insisted this week that "nothing has changed" and Philly wants to win "this year."

The road forward starts on Sunday against a Jaguars defense, led by DC Anthony Campanile, that has stymied opponents this season. Jacksonville has accumulated 41 pressures without blitzing (tied for fifth in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats), while Philly's O-line, as previously constructed, allowed 12 sacks (fourth-most) and a 43.2% pressure rate (third-highest, per NGS).

Life has been hard enough for the Eagles without Johnson alone; since 2024, Philly has averaged 4.8 yards per carry with Johnson on the field, compared to 4.0 without him.

The pressure is quite literally on. How will Philly respond?

3) What will Hunter do in London encore?

The most productive game of Travis Hunter's burgeoning career came last year in England.

The No. 2 overall pick caught eight balls for 101 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort against the Rams, playing 64 of his 76 total snaps on offense. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice just days after the breakout performance.

In his return from injury, Hunter has been much less of a factor on the offensive side of the ball, despite what his final game of 2025 may have suggested.

Through four weeks, Hunter is playing nearly double the defensive snaps per game (43.8 in 2026, compared to 22.0 in '25) -- and to greater effect. In addition to logging his first career INT in Week 3, Hunter has posted a 59.2 passer rating against when targeted (85.4 in '25). His 58.8 completion percentage allowed in coverage is the best on the team among defenders with at least 10 targets, per Next Gen Stats.

So far, he's played just 16 snaps on offense, and last week, Hunter, the so-called dual-threat dynamo, played all 71 defensive snaps -- and none with Trevor Lawrence and the offense. His 175 defensive snaps this year are already more than his total from his rookie season (154).

With Philly already limited personnel-wise on offense, Jacksonville can probably afford to move Hunter off of his defensive assignments and into some offensive packages. But why ruin a good thing?

We'll see if the Jags zag or stick with the plan in Hunter's return to the United Kingdom.