The Patriots dropped their second game of the season in what captain Kevin Byard III described as “an old-fashioned ass whooping,” falling 35-6 in Jacksonville.
New England’s passing game continued putting the offense in bad positions, turning the ball over three times and failing to maximize any possessions in Jaguars territory. And unlike last week, they didn’t have a ground attack or stout defense to fall back on.
“My concern level is very high for this football team,” HC Mike Vrabel said postgame. “I just wanna coach and improve. I think that’s the biggest thing when you come off a game like that. You just wanna get back and work.”
Vrabel’s concern is warranted, as every phase fell short at a fundamental level, including a lack of discipline, ball security, and execution in critical moments. The Patriots faced a 1-2 hole at this time last year, and there’s always a chance another early-season trip to Buffalo could produce a season-altering win. But this team hasn’t proven it has the firepower or resiliency to weather the storms ahead, and significant strides must be taken to conquer the current Kings of the AFC East.
Here are the three biggest culprits—at least upon initial review—in New England’s blowout loss.
Drake Maye
QB Drake Maye has had two of his worst pro performances in three weeks, and this was his most worrisome to date. He committed at least six turnover-worthy plays before being pulled late, including giveaways on two of four interceptable throws and one loss on two fumbles.
Maye was a bit unlucky on his first turnover when the ball slipped from his grasp due to blood from C Jared Wilson’s hand. His other mistakes were less forgivable.
Maye was first picked on a forced end-zone throw where CB Travis Hunter ran WR Efton Chism III’s route, a mistake that killed any chance of points before halftime. Then, late in the third quarter, Maye missed inside to well-covered WR Kyle Williams along the boundary. Maye also avoided interceptions thanks to a CB Jarrian Jones drop/penalty and a miraculous concentration catch by WR Mack Hollins, and he recovered his own red-zone fumble after scrambling up the middle.
Maye is dealing with rotten injury luck around him and a lack of reliable targets, but he’s making it worse with poor ball security and decision-making. If he can’t get out of his own way and at least minimize negative plays, it will be rough sledding for the Patriots against one of the league’s most difficult schedules.
Red Zone Defense
The Patriots’ defense bent a lot against the Jaguars, which is understandable against such a potent offense. But they ultimately broke due to poor execution in scoring territory, giving up touchdowns on all five of Jacksonville’s red-zone trips.
QB Trevor Lawrence burned split-safety zones for three scores through the air, all while attacking the middle of the field. SAF Jaylen Reed was the deep defender on both of Lawrence’s downfield scores, though CB Marcus Jones was all over WR Parker Washington on an impressive 3rd-and-17 connection, and ED Elijah Ponder seemed to cover grass on a short catch-and-run between the hashes by WR Josh Cameron.
RB Chris Rodriguez iced the game with a fairly easy five-yard score up the gut, and RB Bhayshul Tuten added insult to injury with a one-yard touchdown late in the game, while several starters were still on the field.
Team Discipline
Turnovers and poor red-zone play are typically the main culprits in a loss, but self-inflicted errors aren’t far down the list. The Patriots shot themselves in the foot several times today, including nine penalties thrown against them.
New England committed back-to-back penalties twice: first when WR Romeo Doubs was called for offensive pass interference following a hold on RT Morgan Moses, then for neutral zone infractions by Ponder and ED Gabe Jacas before halftime. DI Milton Williams was also flagged for stepping into the neutral zone.
TE Cameron Latu was penalized in two phases, committing an illegal block above the waist on kickoff in the first half, then jumping early on offense in the second.
Other rough penalties included CB Carlton Davis III being called for a facemask after taking a bad angle on WR Jakobi Meyers on a third-down conversion, and Hollins committing the day’s most egregious penalty by taunting with the game well out of hand. Maye also forced the offense to burn a timeout early when he took too long to change a play, nearly drawing a delay of game.
The Patriots looked more like the team we saw in 2024 than the one Vrabel took over last season, and that cannot continue.
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