After a Marcus Jones interception early in the second quarter awarded the New England Patriots a new set of downs at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 21-yard line, trailing 7-0, the Patriots offense unraveled before they could run a full play.
On first down, right tackle Morgan Moses was called for a holding penalty that wiped out a Drake Maye scrambling touchdown. Then, a Romeo Doubs offensive pass interference call quickly followed that mishap, pushing New England back to a 1st-and-30 possession and forcing
the offense to settle for a field goal.
That sequence was an early glimpse of the sloppy, undisciplined football on Sunday afternoon that plagued the Patriots in their dismal 35-6 road loss to the Jaguars.
“My concern level is very high for this football team,” head coach Mike Vrabel said after the contest. “When you come off a game like that, you just want to get back to work … We have to fix a lot of things.”
New England committed nine penalties throughout the matchup. While Jacksonville wasn’t far behind with seven of its own, the Patriots repeatedly made mistakes that prevented them from capitalizing on the Jaguars’ shortcomings.
Trailing just before halftime, but with a larger disparity at 14-3, Maye and his unit had an opportunity to at least cut the game to one score with a third-and-goal snap two yards out from the end zone. However, instead of settling for another three points, the quarterback forced a throw to a smothered Efton Chism III in the back of the painted area, allowing Jacksonville cornerback Travis Hunter to intercept the pass.
Maye was responsible for all three of New England’s turnovers stemming from poor decision-making when dropping back to pass and a jarring fumble that slipped from his hand on a pass attempt.
Still, Vrabel believes that resolving those mistakes begins with himself.
“We haven’t made good decisions with the football,” Vrabel added. “We have to get it fixed. We have to practice. We have to work and get it corrected. And everybody else has to do much better, and it starts with me. That’s how it goes … I need to get guys in there to do the things the way that we need them done.
“There are going to be mistakes, but there are too many things that get us beat: turnovers and not taking advantage of [Jacksonville’s] turnover opportunities.”
Following Maye’s final interception in the third frame, the team’s body language noticeably shifted, with the defense losing its physicality as the game progressed and the offense continuously failing to score.
That body language was evident at all three levels. After the Jaguars extended their lead to 28-3, Kyle Williams, instead of letting the ball roll out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff to accept a penalty, caught the kick, pinning the Patriots at their own nine.
“I think it’s one day at a time,” Vrabel said. “It’s about what we can do to get healthy and improve individually and as a football team. That’s all we can do. It’s going to start with me and my ability to teach and get the guys in the right spots.”
New England, dropping to 1-2 on the season, will travel to Buffalo next week to face the undefeated Bills in a crucial divisional game.
