Ten Takeaways From the Patriots 32-16 Loss to the Jaguars

The New England Patriots started the season with an improbable road win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a Gatorade shower for head coach Jerod Mayo for his first NFL win. The good times did not last long in New England. They lost in overtime to Seattle in Week 2. The Jets embarrassed them on Thursday Night Football in Week 3. San Francisco beat them with ease in Week 4. Miami looked awful against New England in Week 5 but was still good enough to beat the Patriots.

New England headed into this week’s game against the Houston Texans on a four-game losing streak and in jeopardy of falling out of contention before Columbus Day. They turned to rookie quarterback Drake Maye in the hopes of sparking something for the Patriots or at least distracting people from everything that was going wrong for the franchise. Maye did excite in his starting debut, but it was far from enough to overcome the superior Texans, who prevailed 41-21.

Ten takeaways from the Week 7 matchup:

Also Read – Kelley: Is Starting Drake Maye a PR Move for the Patriots?

Outstanding Start for New England

The New England Patriots received in the first half. Antonio Gibson returned the opening kickoff 29 yards out to the Patriots’ 32-yard line. Drake Maye then led New England on a 68-yard touchdown drive to begin the game. Maye went 6-for-7 on the opening drive for 62 yards.

JaMycal Hasty caught a pass from Maye and took it into the end zone for a 16-yard score to cap the drive. It gave New England a 7-0 lead to start the game.

The Patriots’ defense forced a Jaguars punt, and then New England drove down for a field goal and a 10-0 advantage. After 16:25 of game time, the Patriots possessed the ball for all but 3:30.

A bit Hasty! @Patriots score on their opening drive.

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— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024

Low Bar for New England

The Patriots’ offense performed so poorly in 2024 that two scoring drives to start the game seemed incredible. But even when things were going well for New England, they were far from flawless. DeMario Douglas caught the first two pass attempts of the game but then got flagged for an illegal shift penalty. He spent time on the sidelines thereafter (will await more of an explanation from Jerod Mayo).

On the second drive, New England took advantage of three Jacksonville penalties (there is a reason they were also 1-5 coming into Week 7) to get into field goal range. However, with the ball on the Jaguars’ 22-yard line facing a second-and-seven, the Patriots ran the ball right up the middle for no gain. It forced them into an obvious passing situation, which fell incomplete, and New England settled for a field goal.

Nobody was complaining about the 10-0 lead, but the hiccups were a small preview of things to come.

Defense Stops Defending

After forcing a punt on Jacksonville’s first possession, New England’s defense stopped being able to stop anything. The Jaguars had the ball for two possessions in the first half. Both ended in Jacksonville touchdowns.

It was not just a matter of one big play or even one facet of the Jaguars attack. The Patriots’ defense stopped nothing.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence completed 6-of-7 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown on the two drives. RB Tank Bigsby carried five times for 28 yards and a touchdown. New England committed no penalties on either drive, they just couldn’t stop anything that Jacksonville did throwing or running.

Brian Thomas Jr. scored the Jacksonville Jaguars first touchdown. He is their best offensive weapon. He was completely uncovered in the middle of the field and scored easily.

Lawrence to BTJ! @Jaguars are on the board

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— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024

Going Away From What Works

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt did a nice job with play calling, right up until that final second-down play of the second drive. Hunter Henry was the Patriots’ most reliable offensive weapon to that point, yet New England stopped going to him. New England continued to try and force a running attack that was not working. A good offense needs to have a balanced attack over the long term. However, it is also important to recognize what the opposition is unable to stop and force them to try and stop it.

At halftime, Drake Maye was New England’s leading rusher with two scrambles for 17 yards. The Patriots running backs combined for 15 yards on ten rushing attempts. It appears the offensive scheme was outthinking themselves instead of sticking with what worked. Jacksonville would give them a lesson on this in the second half.

Special Team Breakdown

New England went three-and-out on their two possessions after taking a 10-0 lead. On the second one, Bryce Baringer boomed a 66-yard punt to the Jacksonville 4-yard line. Jaguars punt returner Parker Washington fielded the pun and returned it 96 yards for a Jacksonville touchdown. It was a remarkably easy-looking return, with the Patriots never coming close to taking Washington down. The special teams unit has generally been a positive for the Patriots in 2024, with significant improvement from last season. This play was a significant negative and left New England trailing 22-10 after they’d led 10-0.

PARKER WASHINGTON. 96-YARD PUNT RETURN TD.

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— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024

Ja’Lynn Polk’s Struggles Continue

Coming into Week 7, second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk had been targeted 22 times this season. It resulted in ten catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Polk’s longest gain was seven yards or less in four of the first six games. Part of this is the result of the Patriots offensive struggles as a team. However, Polk had drops in each of the two games leading up to New England’s matchup with Jacksonville.

Things failed to improve for Ja’Lynn Polk in Week 7. It appeared to be a step backward as he failed to catch a pass for the first time this season. Drake Maye threw three passes to Ja’Lynn Polk but connected on none of them. It is unclear if any will officially be ruled drops but all three hit Polk’s hands before falling to the ground. He also tripped on a two-point conversion attempt, with the pass falling incomplete in the end zone.

New England wanted to weaponize their offense through the NFL Draft. The early dividends for wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, and tight end Jaheim Bell have not been encouraging. Nobody should be counting the Patriots rookies out yet, but Polk needs to start producing given his opportunities.

Drake Maye Another Solid Start

Not a lot went well for the New England Patriots on Sunday. The silver lining was the play of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, making his second NFL start. Maye completed 26-of-37 passes (70.3%) for 276 yards, two touchdowns, and committed no turnovers. He led the Patriots in rushing for the second week in a row, picking up 18 yards on three carries.

Maye was far from perfect. He threw two passes that probably should have been interceptions and missed on a few other throws. That said, he now has five touchdowns and only one interception after two starts. Maye’s performance has not been enough to single-handedly turn around the Patriots’ fortunes, though even a prime Tom Brady would struggle to do so. Most importantly, Maye continues to show great promise. New England has a lot of work to do before they become a contending team, but early returns indicate they have found their franchise quarterback.

Drake Maye delivers a TD strike to KJ Osborn!

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— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024

Something Needs to Change

The Patriots have lost six straight. There was talk from Jerod Mayo that the lineup would change to get more dependable players in the game for New England. However, the only notable change to the starting lineup was Christian Elliss taking Raekwon McMillan’s spot at linebacker. The lack of changes does not correspond to the messaging.

New England plays with very little passion, particularly on defense. That can be attributed, in part, to the absence of players like Christian Barmore, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and Jabrill Peppers. However, somebody needs to stop up for this team. There wasn’t a single player on the defense that appeared to have a great game in the loss. Jacksonville ran the ball 17 consecutive plays at one point, despite their starting running back being out injured. Davon Godchaux mentioned last week that the team was not playing with enough pride. That goes double and triple when a 1-5 team like Jacksonville plays bully-ball with a backup.

Losing is always going to be discouraging. However, the problem with New England is not merely talent. That can be changed with offseason moves. There is a lack of discipline, effort, and enthusiasm on the field, particularly on the defense. Those things aren’t just bad for the 2024 team’s record; they are bad for the culture in the locker room. The Patriots cannot afford many more blows in that department.

Injuries

Layden Robinson got the start at right guard for New England but injured his ankle early and did not return.

Antonio Gibson left temporarily with an unknown injury but returned.

DeMario Douglas (illness) and Ja’Lynn Polk (head) also appeared on the injury updates during the game.

New England Patriots Stars of the Game

As always, the New England Patriots get three stars, even in a loss. Sadly, this week got to a point where a punter who outkicked coverage on a punt return touchdown earned a star. The three stars for Week 7 are:

First Star – Drake Maye

Second Star – Hunter Henry

Third Star – Bryce Baringer