The Jacksonville Jaguars did not fare well last week in London against the Chicago Bears. They controlled the first quarter of the game but only had a field-goal lead. After that, the Bears controlled the game and it was never really close again. The defense did not pressure Caleb Williams enough and allowed the Bears to gain over 370 yards. On top of that, the Jaguars offense was never able to establish the run and Trevor Lawrence was sacked three times.
Doug Pederson is now clearly on the hot seat, and rumors are that some of the players quit during this game. This week they get another game in London against the New England Patriots. This is a matchup of 1-5 teams where the loser may get the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots Game History
Sunday will be the 15th time the Jaguars and Patriots have met. The Patriots have owned the series, winning 12 of the 14 matchups. The last meeting was in 2022 when the Patriots won by 40 at home late in the season. The Jaguars did win the previous matchup in 2018 which was supposed to pay back for the loss in the AFC championship game earlier in 2018.
Key Players for the Jaguars
The Jaguars did not build on the momentum from the win against the Colts. The offense struggled and an early drop by Gabe Davis cost them the opportunity to get an early touchdown and take control.
Travis Etienne had recovered from a stinger he suffered a couple of weeks ago, pnly to then tweak his hamstring. Etienne only ran the ball three times for -1 yards and the other backs did not fare better.
Tank Bigsby and D’Ernest Johnson combined for 13 carries for only 54 yards. The availability of Etienne is in question, so Bigsby will need to be productive against the Patriots who are the sixth-worst against the run.
The Jaguars welcomed back Evan Engram and he was busy all day. He caught all 10 targets for 102 yards but had a costly fumble at the beginning of the third quarter that stopped any comeback attempts. Now that they are healthy they need to get all of their weapons involved. Brian Thomas Jr and Christian Kirk had little involvement last week combining for less than 70 yards. Gabe Davis got his first touchdown of the season but he needs to be more consistent and cut down on the drops.
The Jaguars’ defense struggled again allowing big gains on the ground and through the air. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker combined for half a sack and had little impact on the game. Ventrell Miller was good again and Devin Lloyd had his ups and downs yet again. Andre Cisco had his first interception but the secondary as a whole struggled throughout the game. Tyson Campbell’s absence is still causing problems in the secondary. The Patriots do not have great receivers but the Jaguars have not shown they can stop anyone.
Key Players for the Patriots
The Patriots lost to the Houston Texans last week but the positive is that Drake Maye looked good in his first start. He had 243 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions against fourth best defense in passing yards per game. He will get a big weapon back this week in Rhamondre Stevenson after missing last week with a foot injury. Stevenson and Antonio Gibson are very good receiving backs and that will is a big weakness for the Jaguars defense. Last week Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte were the main targets and seem to have good chemistry with Maye. The Jaguars just allowed a two touchdown game to Cole Kmet, so Hunter Henry has an opportunity to have another good game this week.
The Patriots are missing Jabrill Peppers who is recently put on the commissioner’s exempt list with his ongoing legal trouble. That is big as he was the highest rated defender for the Patriots according to PFF. Christian Gonzalez is the Patriots best corner and could get the matchup with Brian Thomas Jr. Keion White is the leading pass rusher for the Patriots with five sacks on the season. The Jaguars offense will need to be aware of where Kyle Dugger is because he has played snaps in five different positions.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Keys to Win the Game
It is the same thing for the Jaguars week to week. They need to start off fast and get touchdowns in the redzone. I am not sure they are mentally tough enough to fall behind and fight back. The Patriots are not an explosive offense but Drake Maye is going to be more aggressive getting the ball down the field, and the Jaguars need to stop that.
Brian Thomas Jr and Christian Kirk have to be more involved. The Patriots have not been great against the pass and can get beat. Trevor Lawrence just needs to get the ball to the playmakers quick because of the inconsistency of the offensive line. Tank Bigsby has to be productive and not turn the ball over.
On defense, Jacksonville must get pressure on the young rookie quarterback and get turnovers to make a short field for the offense. The receiving corps is not good enough to give up big plays, so they have to be limited. As I stated earlier the backs are lethal out of the backfield. Devin Lloyd has to be better in coverage and recognition.
Do the Jaguars have any fight left? Who will win in the battle of 1-5 teams?
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.