Williams throws 4 TDs and TE Kmet handles long snaps for Bears in 35-16 rout of Jaguars in London

LONDON (AP) — Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet faced his biggest fear in football with no notice.

In a snap, you might say.

Kmet scored two touchdowns and was called into emergency long-snapping duties in Chicago's 35-16 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The tight end successfully snapped after each of Caleb Williams' four TD passes and D’Andre Swift's 1-yard plunge as the Bears (4-2) won their third straight game for the first time in nearly four years.

“Definitely not a position I envisioned playing in the NFL — ever,” said Kmet, who caught a pair of second-quarter touchdown throws. “(It’s) my biggest worry going into the game.”

After long snapper Scott Daly left the game early with a knee injury, Kmet got the call. Even though he's the designated emergency long snapper — because the team found out he did it in high school — he only takes a couple of snaps a week in practice.

“Thankfully didn’t have to do any punt scenarios,” he added.

No, punting was not a worry. The Bears punted after their first two drives, and not again.

Keenan Allen also caught two touchdown passes. He led a tea party celebration after his 9-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, and his second score gave Chicago a 28-10 early in the fourth.

“When he's in a groove like that, and all the balls are catchable, it’s pretty easier to play receiver,” Allen said of Williams. “Week in, week out, he gets better. Obviously, when we pick up the tempo, he's a lot more comfortable. He's able to see things faster, and defenses can't do all the moving around.”

The Jags (1-5) started fast but Gabe Davis dropped a pass in the end zone — after he was whistled for a false start — and Jacksonville settled for a field goal on its opening drive.

Davis later caught two second-half touchdown passes from Trevor Lawrence — the second made the score 35-16.

Kmet broke two tackles on a 31-yard touchdown reception to give Chicago a 7-3 lead in the second quarter when the Bears mixed in no-huddle to spark their offense.

Williams found Kmet in the end zone with 13 seconds left in the half to complete an 85-yard drive than included the rookie quarterback scrambling for 23 yards on one play and 19 on another.

“Obviously, you study, you watch, and do all these other things. But, you know, once the ball snaps, you have to have that post-snap read and know what you have to do and be confident about it,” Williams said.

Williams, the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft, finished 23 of 29 for 226 yards with the four TD passes and one interception. He picked up 56 yards on four carries.

Kmet had five receptions for 70 yards. Swift ran 17 times for 91 yards.

Jags coach Doug Pederson, who got a vote of confidence from owner Shad Khan on Saturday, told the NFL Network at halftime while trailing 14-3 that his team had “self-inflicted wounds.”

Pederson was asked after the game if he feels he still has Khan's full support. He responded: “I do. I was just with him, and I do.”

“We have to figure out how to just get out of our way and just play football,” Pederson said. “I say that, and it sounds easy, but it’s tough. It’s a tough game to play. We didn’t expect to be here in this spot, and, hey, now we have to find a way to get out of it.”

Jags tight end Evan Engram, who returned from a hamstring injury that cost him four games, fumbled after a reception on Jacksonville’s first drive of the third quarter. The Bears turned that into points when Allen scored his first touchdown with the team.

Lawrence completed 23 of 35 passes for 234 yards, two touchdown passes and one interception. Engram had 10 catches for 102 yards.

It's Chicago's first three-game winning streak since late in the 2020 season.

Louis Rees-Zammit, the Welsh rugby star who is on Jacksonville's practice squad, made the trip and chatted with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the field before the game. Goodell has led the league's push for international growth.

Jaguars: S Darnell Savage and CB Jarrian Jones were evaluated for concussions after colliding in the third quarter.

Bears: Long snapper Scott Daly (knee) was hurt after Chicago's second punt and was ruled out. ... DB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) was ruled out in the second half. ... The Bears played without two starters in their secondary: S Jaquan Brisker (concussion from last week) and CB Tyrique Stevenson (calf injury from practice Thursday)

Jaguars: Stay in London and “host” the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium.

Bears: Bye week and then at the Washington Commanders in Week 8.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) leaves the field after an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18), right, greets Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) after an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13), right, catches the ball to score a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13), right, celebrates scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.(AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) is tackled by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Chad Muma (48) during an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (5) celebrates making an interception during an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) breaks through to score the first touch down in the first quarter of an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) is tackled by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (33) and Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) during an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is tackled by Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard III (31) and cornerback Kyler Gordon (6) during an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) celebrates after scoring the first touch down in the first quarter of an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) celebrates after Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) scored his side's third touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts as he leaves the field after an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Bears players celebrate after Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) scored his side's third touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL football game at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears in London, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Sunday its front-line army units are ready to launch strikes on South Korea, ramping up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones and dropped leaflets over its capital Pyongyang.

South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened.

North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again.

In a statement carried by state media Sunday, the North’s Defense Ministry said that the military had issued a preliminary operation order to artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to “get fully ready to open fire.”

An unidentified ministry spokesperson said the North Korea’s military ordered relevant units to fully prepare for situations like launching immediate strikes on unspecified enemy targets when South Korea infiltrates drones across the border again, possibly triggering fighting on the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

The spokesperson said that “grave touch-and-go military tensions are prevailing on the Korean Peninsula” because of the South Korean drone launches. In a separate statement later Sunday, the spokesperson said that the entire South Korean territory “might turn into piles of ashes” following the North's powerful attack.

Also Sunday, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described as “suicidal” the South Korean Defense Ministry’s reported warning that North Korea would face the end of its regime if it harms South Korean nationals. She warned Saturday that the discovery of a new South Korean drone will “certainly lead to a horrible disaster.”

North Korea often issues such fiery, blistering rhetoric in times of elevated animosities with South Korea and the United States.

Ties between the two Koreas remain tense since a U.S.-led diplomacy on ending North Korea's nuclear program fell apart in 2019. North Korea has since pushed hard to expand its nuclear arsenal and repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the U.S. with its nuclear weapons. But experts say it's unlikely for North Korea to launch a full-blown attack because its military is outpaced by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

Observers predicted North Korea would escalate tensions ahead of next month's U.S. presidential election to boost its leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans.

Since May, North Korea has floated thousands of balloons carrying rubbish toward South Korea in retaliation for South Korean activists flying their own balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets. South Korea’s military responded to the North’s balloon campaign by restarting border loudspeakers to blare broadcast propaganda and K-pop songs to North Korea.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of the authoritarian government of Kim Jong Un and his family’s dynastic rule.

FILE - North Korean soldiers work at the North's military guard post as a North Korean flag flutters in the wind, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - North Korean balloons are seen from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

FILE - A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea on March 7, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)