The New England Patriots are sitting at 1-1, just like their Week 3 opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars. But forget the historical 12-3 record New England boasts over the first 15 matchups; the Jags won the last one in 2024, and now, oddsmakers have Jacksonville favored at home.
Maye’s Offense Needs to Find a Gear, FAST
Drake Maye and the New England offense just haven’t looked like their 2025 selves yet, even with some positive flashes in last week’s win over the Steelers. Moving the ball? That’s not the problem. Holding onto it and being consistent? That’s a whole other story, especially with five pass-game turnovers in just two games. That’s a recipe for disaster, plain and simple. Now they’re up against a Jaguars defense that loves to blitz, brings a disruptive edge rush, has rangy linebackers, and showed really good coverage even in a loss to Denver last week. The Pats absolutely have to be sharper to put up points. Yeah, the margin of error might be a bit wider compared to their first two matchups, but until this team stops giving the ball away, there are serious questions. The edge here? It’s gotta go to the Jaguars defense.
Can the Patriots’ D Shut Down Lawrence?
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots’ pass defense has its own huge challenge. The Jaguars don’t exactly have a clear-cut, high-end No. 1 wide receiver like the Seahawks or Steelers boast. Parker Washington has looked solid so far this season, for sure, but the Pats’ secondary could be getting all its starters back, even with some recent injury questions. If they do, they should be able to limit Washington and the rest of that unit. Of course, Trevor Lawrence is under center, and he’s one of the best pure passers the Patriots have faced in the Mike Vrabel era. This isn’t gonna be easy. But with good coverage, aggressive pressure calls, and an interior pass rush that can mess with Jacksonville’s O-line, the scales could definitely tip in New England’s favor. For this matchup, it’s the Patriots who hold the edge.
Running Game Still Searching For Consistency
Even with TreVeyon Henderson back from injury last week, the New England run game is still struggling to find that consistent rhythm. Henderson, a second-year guy, does bring some rare home-run ability to complement Rhamondre Stevenson. And Stevenson himself ran hard against the Steelers last week, but man, losing that fumble on a short reception early in the game just hurts.
This whole thing projects to be a close contest, and it could seriously go either way. Both teams are fighting to get to 2-1, and for the Patriots, getting the offense to finally click without giving the ball away is the absolute mission this Sunday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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