A 90-yard return that never counted
The Eagles and Jaguars needed one kickoff to turn their game in London into a mess. Jaguars rookie Josh Cameron fielded the opening kick at his own 10-yard line and ran it 90 yards to the end zone, a touchdown that lasted about as long as it took the officials to find their flags.
Four penalties wiped it out. The Eagles were flagged for illegal formation on the kickoff and the Jaguars for holding on the return. Then a brief scuffle added two more, both for unsportsmanlike conduct, and both players involved were thrown out of the game.
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Thomas and Trotter sent off
Jaguars defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. and Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. were ejected after the scuffle. Head umpire Ron Torbert took several minutes to explain the sequence to the stadium.
For Trotter there is an uncomfortable family echo. His father, Jeremiah Trotter, was ejected before a season opener in 2005 after a fight with Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis during pregame warmups.
A league already buried in flags
The opening kick fits a pattern. Last week produced 271 penalties, the second-most in a single week since 1950, and the league has reached 963 through the first four weeks of the season.
The Jaguars arrived 3-1 and as 7.5-point favorites after a win at Cincinnati. The Eagles, 2-2 after blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead against the Rams, were already without Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Tank Bigsby and starting center Drew Kendall.
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