JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has been worried about the team's 10-day London trip since the NFL announced the international game schedule in May.
Not about the logistics of pulling the two-game trip off without a hitch, because the franchise has made nine previous trips to London to play a home game, and he didn't anticipate any problems in extending the stay. He was more concerned with how the players would deal with what happens after they return -- the fatigue that comes with the time change.
The Jaguars (3-2) can't let the affects from the overseas trip be a lingering issue because they're entering a critical three-game stretch before their bye that starts with Sunday's matchup against the 3-2 Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
"The fatigue aspect is real," Pederson said. "It takes a couple of days to get back on the Eastern Standard Time from a time zone that's actually five hours ahead. It does take a couple of days. I'm going to be very mindful of that this week and making sure the guys get plenty of rest during the week but at the same time, getting our work done the rest of the week and preparing for Indy on Sunday. It's a give and take this week, the players have to understand that, and we still have to get our work in."
The Jaguars landed in Jacksonville at 2 a.m. ET on Monday after a nearly nine-hour flight, and Pederson gave the players Monday and Tuesday off, other than a short mandatory weightlifting session on Tuesday. He also altered the schedule from Wednesday-Friday, moving times up so the players could be out of the facility a little earlier each day.
The players appreciated the two-day break, though some were still feeling effects from the 10 days in England and long trip back on Wednesday.
"I've gone to London pretty much every year I've been in the league, but I've noticed coming back I've felt a little more tired this year," left tackle Cam Robinson said. "I'm not really sure why. That first day when we got back, I pretty much slept the day away. So I woke up, got some breakfast, still feeling drowsy. I got back in bed and woke up and the sun was down. So I was super tired.
"I don't really know what was so different. Maybe because the length of time we were over there, but I did notice a difference this time when we got back."
One player, who asked not to be named, said his joints were still aching mid-week, which he attributed to the long return flight -- but that's something players deal with every year because they head to the airport immediately after the game.
Then there's receiver Calvin Ridley.
"This is my first time ever going to London and then coming back, and I haven't been in the NFL for a while, so this is my first time going to London and having a game back here, so I don't know how I should feel, but I feel normal," he said. "I'm ready to help my team."
The Jaguars are 3-6 in their first game after playing in London, but they had a bye before seven of those games. They're 1-1 when they play the next week, with the only victory coming over the Las Vegas Raiders in Jacksonville last year. The Jaguars trailed 17-0 in that game before outscoring the Raiders 27-3 over the final 35 minutes.
"We need to guard against a little bit of a lull that happened to us last year when we came back," Pederson said. "It's something that I'll continue to talk to the team about."
That's especially important since the winner of Sunday's game against the Colts will be alone in first place in the AFC South. Making things even more interesting is the return of quarterback Gardner Minshew, whom the Jaguars drafted in the sixth round in 2019 and went 7-13 as a starter in two seasons before the team drafted Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in 2021. He will start for the Colts.
Plus, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for 522 yards and three TDs in five games against the Jaguars, is expected to get a nearly full workload in his second game back against the Jaguars' rush defense, which ranks fifth in the NFL (84.1 yards per game allowed).
It has been a busy week for the Jaguars once they did return to the field on Wednesday. Receiver Zay Jones (knee) and left guard Walker Little (knee) didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday and are unlikely to play Sunday. But it looks like defensive end Dawuane Smoot is on track to make his season debut against the Colts, as he practiced in full this week. He had begun the season on the physically unable to perform list because of an Achilles injury that he suffered last December. Defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton also returned to the practice field on a limited basis for the first time this season this week. He had not practiced since mid-August because of a medical issue with his back that required continuous antibiotics for weeks.
The Jaguars did not want their bye this early in the season -- Pederson said he prefers midseason -- but did ask for a home game, and the NFL obliged with a familiar opponent in the Colts. But that's followed by a short week and a Thursday night game in New Orleans next week. The three-game stretch is capped by a road game in Pittsburgh.
That's three games in 15 days, but right now Pederson is just worried about the players being fully recovered by Sunday.
"Going away for 10 days was good for us, but we've got to bring that energy back," he said. "We can't leave it in London. That's a big part of this week, but playing a division opponent can help that."