Jonathan Owens digs into his pocket and proudly pulls out a scale model of Big Ben, the latest treasured souvenir of his European road trip. He can’t remember the name of the strangely famous watch on his hand, but he’s excited.
His next souvenir? He hopes that the Chicago Bears will beat the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The safe bear is back across the pond after spending the summer watching wife Simone Biles clinch her fifth, sixth and seventh Olympic gymnastics gold medals at the Paris Games, where he was photographed diligently tallying up the scores in the crowd.
“Paris was amazing,” Owens told Sky Sports. “It was my second time in Europe. But I was able to really get a chance to learn about the culture and explore the city.
“It was amazing to see everything and obviously getting the chance to watch the Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“And you know, my wife was the star of the show. I felt like I was being spoiled, I got VIP treatment there and had the opportunity to see the city and experience the art, culture and history of Paris. It was amazing.”
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Sky Sports Neil Reynolds sits down with Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams before his team’s showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars in London
This weekend, attention turns to Owens for his second trip to London as Matt Eberflus’ Chicago squad, led by No. 1 quarterback Caleb Williams, seeks its fourth win of the season.
The break tends to be limited for players when they arrive in the UK, although just being here is enough for Owens.
“It’s an absolutely amazing experience,” he continues. “I’m familiar with traveling and adapting to everything, so it’s very exciting to come and play in front of international fans and continue to expand football around the world.
“The shopping is pretty cool. You get to keep the main thing (the game) the main thing here, but you get to try a little bit so that’ll be great. Honestly, my favorite part is being in the culture.”
“It’s very different, you hear everyone’s accent, you walk around and you see these historic buildings. I was always a history guy at school, so I love seeing all the buildings.”
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Speaking on Inside the Huddle, Greg Rosenthal said the atmosphere at NFL London games is “really like the Super Bowl.”
Owens figures to be part of a Bears defense that has ranked among the league’s best so far this season, and a secondary with the third-most 11 points on the year, including interceptions from five different players.
Eberflus and Eric Washington were precise and specific in their use of the blitz, relying on a four-man rush like all effective modern defenses while putting their defensive backs on standby.
“I think everyone was on the same page,” Owens said of Chicago’s success. And for everyone to really be able to trust each other, it’s about going out there to make plays. “We brought in a lot of good people this season and continue to build that culture, and everyone has meshed well and I’m excited to see them again on Sunday.”
Familiar foes await Owens on Sunday after previously facing the Jaguars twice a season during his three years with the Houston Texans from 2019-2022.
The Bears will be led by rookie quarterback Williams, who, like his counterpart Trevor Lawrence, has been touted as the No. 1 overall pick since the beginning of his football journey. After enduring the slow start familiar to every rookie, Williams had his best performance of the season after throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers.
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Take a look back at the most memorable moments from NFL games in London, including the Saint double-doink loss, Aaron Rodgers’ big reception, Landon Collins’ stunning six-pointer, and the Jags’ mascot bungee jump.
“He’s handling this smoothly,” Owens said. “You come in, you’re the No. 1 quarterback, you have all these expectations, everyone has an opinion on social media and man, he’s taken it with grace. He’s just going to keep getting better.”
“Every week, that’s all you can ask for. I’m excited to see him come out and showcase his talents again.
“Everybody watched last week, but we saw it in practice, it was all about just putting everything together. So we’re excited to watch it.”
In addition to the introduction of Williams, the offseason arrivals of Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift came to bolster one of the most powerful offensive weapon groups a rookie quarterback could hope for. With that came growing expectations and visions of a new era of competition for the Bears in the coming years.
They enter Sunday’s game 3-2 and third in the NFC North after beating the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams over the past two weeks.
“This is where we expected to be, the position we were competing in,” Owens said. “We’re in a very tough division, so every game counts. This is what you work for, so it’s exciting to see the work you put in on the pitch.
“We want to make sure we create a winning culture this year. We have the guys to do that, and we have the coaches to do that.”
Watch the Chicago Bears take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 13 October, live on Sky Sports NFL, with kick-off at 2.30pm; Also stream with NOW.
