LONDON _ The Ravens insisted they'd be ready for what they called a business trip. The injuries, the long flight, the altered practice schedule and routine, the unfamiliarity with their surroundings compared with their opponent's, none of that would matter.
Very early in Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, it became clear the Ravens team from the first two weeks of the NFL season never arrived here.
By the end of the first quarter, the Jacksonville Jaguars had outgained the Ravens in yards 169 to minus 1. Less than five minutes into the second quarter, the Ravens had already given up 13 points, three more than they surrendered in their first two games combined. With 4:14 left in the second quarter, quarterback Joe Flacco completed his first pass and the offense finally got a first down, prompting Bronx cheers from a partisan Ravens crowd that never had much to cheer about.
And things would get progressively worse. The Ravens put out one of their worst efforts in the John Harbaugh era and were embarrassed by the Jaguars who won, 44-7, in front of an announced 84,592 at Wembley Stadium. The attendance was a record for the International Series in London.
The Ravens fell to 2-1 and now have to rebound next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.
The loss tied with a 37-0 drubbing by the Pittsburgh Steelers on a Sunday night in November 1997 as the most lopsided in team history. The Ravens were nearly shut out Sunday, but Ryan Mallett hit Benjamin Watson for a short touchdown pass with under four minutes to play.
It was the second most points the team has surrendered, falling short of the 49 the Denver Broncos put on them in the first game of the 2013 regular season.
The Ravens' first-ever overseas game quickly became a nightmare. The Ravens trailed 23-0 at halftime and had just 15 total yards of offense over the first 30 minutes, their lowest output in any half in franchise history.
Things actually got worse in the second half. Flacco was picked off for the second time on the Ravens' first possession after halftime and two plays later, Blake Bortles hit Marcedes Lewis for a 30-yard touchdown pass, his second of the day.
On the next possession, running back Terrance West fumbled and Telvin Smith returned the ball to the Ravens' 2-yard line. Two plays later, Bortles hit Lewis for a 4-yard touchdown. The three touchdowns by Lewis, who is known as more of a blocker, equaled the number he had in the previous three years combined.
The Jaguars then rubbed the Ravens' noses it in as they executed a successful fake punt on fourth-and-1 from their own 35 while leading 37-0. Corey Grant took the direct snap and rumbled 58 yards, setting up Leonard Fournette's 5-yard touchdown.
No Raven had an answer for a Jaguars team that had been beaten, 37-6, at home by the Tennessee Titans in the previous week. However, nobody struggled as much as Flacco, who went just 8-for-18 for 28 yards and threw two interceptions before giving way to Mallett in the fourth quarter.
The defense wasn't much better as it allowed the much-maligned Bortles to complete 21 of 31 for 244 yards and four touchdowns. After forcing 10 turnovers the previous two weeks, the Ravens didn't force the mistake-prone Bortles into any.
Injury was added to insult as the Ravens, already playing without standout defensive tackle Brandon Williams, lost defensive end Brent Urban early in the first quarter to a foot injury. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was also hurt during the game, but he returned.
