In Week 3, Drake Maye takes his Patriots (1-1) to Duval County for a matchup against Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars (1-1).
Last time both clubs met up was in London during Maye’s rookie season where the Jaguars doubled up the Pats 32-16 thanks to two touchdowns from Tank Bigsby and an additional score from a pair of receivers in Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr.
Two season’s later, the Patriots have a new coach at the helm and a much better team on paper than that 2024 team. For New England to win the rematch this time around, they will need to keep the pocket clean for Drake Maye, something the offensive line has struggled with to start the season.
Through two games, Maye has taken 6 sacks against two of the best defensive lines in Seattle and Pittsburgh. The trend will continue this week as New England has to deal with the likes of Arik Armstead, Travon Walker, and Josh Hines-Allen who have combined for 15 tackles and 3.0 sacks through the first two weeks.
Defense Must Step up
Through Week 2, albeit against Drew Lock and 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, New England‘s defense has been the league’s best scoring defense allowing just 8 points per game. Additionally, the Patriots have the best third down defense (17.4%) and are one of two teams to have yet to allow a touchdown in the red zone.
For New England to maintain that elite defensive performance against a loaded Jacksonville offense will be quite the ask. Jacksonville boasts a trio of receivers in Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and former Patriot Jakobi Meyers, along with newly extended tight end Brenton Strange.
The hope is that New England gains some reinforcements back in Carlton Davis, Dre’Mont Jones, and Craig Woodson.
Otherwise, younger players will be thrown into the fire. It’s one thing for reserves to perform at home when they have the crowd backing them, but road games are a whole different beast.
For New England, Week 3 represents more than a chance to avenge their loss across the pond. It’s another test to see what their depth is made of. If both sides of the ball can win the line of scrimmage, the Patriots will have a happy flight back to Foxborough as they prep for the division-rival Bills in Week 4.
