The New England Patriots made the Jacksonville Jaguars look decent on Sunday. That’s how bad things have gotten.
The Patriots got off to a 10-0 start in London but cratered thereafter, ultimately suffering an ugly 32-16 loss to the Jaguars. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye played well in his second start but couldn’t overcome a wretched showing by New England’s defense.
The Patriots now have lost six consecutive games for the first time since 1993 and the first time under Robert Kraft’s ownership.
Jaguars Overwhelm Drake Maye, Patriots in London
Maye completed 26 of 37 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns while rushing three times for a team-high 18 yards and taking two sacks. Things were looking up when Maye found running back JaMycal Hasty for an opening-drive score and led New England to a field goal on its second drive.
.@MycHasty dancing to the end zone 🕺
📺: NFLN pic.twitter.com/CzBRrDpqcx
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 20, 2024
Everything fell apart from there.
With its running game leading the way, Jacksonville overpowered an undermanned and undisciplined Patriots front seven. Tank Bigsby led the way with 26 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns, with D’Ernest Johnson adding nine carries for 38 yards.
It was an emasculating performance by the Jaguars’ offense, which made New England’s defense look soft.
“We’re a soft football team across the board,” head coach Jerod Mayo rightly said after the game. ” … Back to the drawing board.”
At one point in the second half, Jacksonville had run the ball on 16 consecutive plays. The Patriots’ offense had run just five second-half plays when it took over after a fourth-down stop with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Trevor Lawrence completed 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. led the Jags with five catches for 89 yards, including a 58-yarder, and a touchdown.
As for the Patriots, they received just 18 rushing yards from running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Tight end Hunter Henry led all pass catchers with eight receptions for 92 yards.
Overall, the Jaguars racked up 364 yards of total offense compared to 295 for the Patriots. Jacksonville also was better on third downs and converted more first downs (23 to 17).
The Patriots dropped to 1-6 with the loss, while the Jaguars improved to 2-5 with the win. New England will host the New York Jets next Sunday.
Let’s look at three studs and three duds from Sunday’s game at Wembley Stadium.
Best Players for the Patriots in Loss to Jaguars
QB Drake Maye
The rookie was far from perfect. He had multiple warrant throws and was fortunate not to throw two interceptions. There still is much to work on.
However, Maye impressed for the second week in a row and appears to be gaining confidence. He was especially good on his first drive when he completed six of seven passes for 62 yards while leading the Patriots to their first opening-drive touchdown since Week 14 of last season.
Maye also drove the field for a score in the fourth quarter when the Patriots had their backs against the wall.
Drake to KJ, a thing of beauty.@KJ_Osborn | @DrakeMaye2
📺: NFLN pic.twitter.com/NyRUx8TPgJ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 20, 2024
“I thought Drake did a good job, especially starting the game off fast,” Mayo said. “He made some good throws; he made some plays with his legs.”
Maye’s “rookie game” will come at some point. He takes too many chances not to pay for them at some point.
But, through two games, Patriots fans have every reason to dream big about their new franchise QB.
TE Hunter Henry
The veteran tight end continued his solid start to the season.
The Patriots need Henry to be a reliable big target for Maye, and he’s doing just that. When plays break down, Maye regularly looks Henry’s way, and the ninth-year pro usually delivers.
One random observation: Henry immediately bear-hugs the ball on nearly all of his catches. You rarely see him tuck the ball under one arm and look to make plays in the open field. And that’s just fine, given some of his teammates’ fumbling issues this season.
LB Anfernee Jennings
It’s scary to think how bad the Patriots’ edge defense would be without Anfernee Jennings. The veteran plays his tail off every game, and Sunday’s game was no different.
Jennings made multiple tough stops against the run and was physical throughout. He finished with seven tackles, including one for a loss, and was a bright spot on an otherwise grim day for New England’s defense.
Honorable mentions: JaMycal Hasty
Who Struggled for the Patriots in Loss to Jaguars?
Linebackers
The Patriots have a big linebacker problem.
The group has struggled mightily, especially against the run, since Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered a torn pectoral in Week 2. And the issues continued Sunday with Jahlani Tavai, Christian Elliss, and Raekwon McMillan (who began the game on the bench) all having issues against the run and in coverage.
The Jags rushed 39 times for 171 yards (4.4 average) and two scores. And while the linebackers don’t deserve all the blame, they deserve a lot of it.
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It would be easy to use Bentley’s injury as an excuse. But the reality is the Patriots have neglected the position for years, regularly bargain shopping while emphasizing brains and toughness over pure athleticism and talent. The last LB New England drafted was fifth-rounder Cameron McGrone in 2021.
Everyone focuses on wide receiver and offensive tackle, and rightfully so, but linebacker will be another huge need next offseason.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk
Ja’Lynn Polk is really going through it.
After dropping two passes last week, the rookie receiver failed to catch his first target on Sunday and saw little work the rest of the game. Polk pushed back against criticism this week by insisting he has some of the best hands in the NFL, and the take couldn’t have aged much worse.
He had three balls hit his hands on Sunday, and all three hit the ground. None went down as drops, but they all were catchable balls. The second-rounder also slipped while being targeted on a key two-point try in the fourth quarter. He finished with zero catches on three targets.
Polk suffered a head injury late in the fourth quarter and quickly was ruled out for the rest of the game. Shortly after the final whistle — and being called out again by Mayo — Polk posted a peace sign emoji to his Instagram story.
Ja’Lynn Polk on IG 🤔 pic.twitter.com/FuvUWL3ioP
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 20, 2024
“We need more from Polk,” Mayo said. “We need more concentration. He’ll be a good player in this league.”
Polk looks like a completely different receiver than the one we saw during training camp. He needs to be better.
Special Teams
New England’s special teams have crashed back to Earth after a strong start to the season.
Sunday represented another low point, with the Patriots’ punt coverage allowing a 96-yard touchdown return by Parker Washington. To make matters worse, Tavai committed a penalty while Jacksonville was lining up to kick the extra point; the Jaguars accepted the penalty, went for two points, and converted.
"I'm Parker Washington?" – Parker Washington
@CPW11_ | #NEvsJAX on NFLN pic.twitter.com/RGhxD2cECF— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 20, 2024
The ever-inconsistent Bryce Baringer continued his up-and-down play with a booming 57-yarder along with a 40-yarder. He might be the most overrated punter in football.
Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer still seems like an upgrade over Cam Achord, but his group has gotten worse every week.
Honorable mentions: Sidy Sow, Mike Onwenu, Christian Gonzalez, Jaylinn Hawkins, Front Seven