The Jacksonville Jaguars, sitting at a 1-1 record, are back home at EverBank Stadium this week to face the New England Patriots, also 1-1. This isn’t just another game, especially after that narrow loss at Mile High last week; the Jags are feeling that sting, and they’re entering Week 3 with a specific mentality, despite being 2.5-point favorites at home. Forget the 3-point home-field swing, on a neutral field, they’d be underdogs.
Brenton Strange: The Unsung Hero Ready to Break Out
Let’s talk about Brenton Strange. This tight end was a pillar of Liam Coen’s offense last season. Did you know the Jaguars were an incredible 11-1 in 2025 when Strange played? That’s insane! The team knew his value, locking him down with a long-term extension in the offseason. But two games into 2026, we’ve only seen 4 catches on 5 targets for 40 yards and a single touchdown. Total. Trevor Lawrence has already slung it 52 times this season, giving Strange a measly 9.6% target share, way down from his healthy 16% share last year. Sure, there are “a lot of mouths to feed” with Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jakobi Meyers, but this is Strange we’re talking about!
Here’s the good news: don’t fret over the box score. Strange is absolutely due for a burst in the passing game. He was running crisp routes against the Broncos, and for whatever reason, Lawrence just wasn’t looking his way, even when he popped wide open. The coaching staff will see that on tape and realize, “Hey, we just paid this guy a lot because he’s really good. Maybe we should, you know, get him the ball more often?” When New England’s interior pass rush inevitably gets after Lawrence, leaning into short-area passes to Strange will be even more critical. He has +300 odds to score a touchdown on FanDuel, with his receiving yards over/under at 27.5. That’s a mark he can easily hit, and then some.
Jags Run D Needs To Clamp Down
While Strange is ready to cook, the Jaguars’ run defense has been merely above average this season. Remember 2025? They were the league’s best. So, watching the Broncos run free for first downs to clinch last week’s game? That was alarming, straight up. You know the Jags are going to tighten things up against a Patriots offense that *wants* to run the ball. The thing is, New England isn’t all that threatening when they do. Rhamondre Stevenson is an underappreciated rusher, a real jack-of-all-trades, but he doesn’t have elite traits and has a real issue holding onto the ball. The Jags’ defense absolutely has to dominate the line of scrimmage here.
This Week 3 matchup isn’t just another notch in the win column. It’s about the Jaguars regaining their defensive swagger and, more importantly, unleashing their key playmakers. Keep your eyes glued to Strange; his breakout is coming, and it’s going to be exciting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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