Ugly. Sloppy. Disappointing.
That basically sums up the New England Patriots' performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, falling 35-6. And a lot of the blame falls on Drake Maye's shoulders, as the quarterback was responsible for three turnovers, including two interceptions and one fumble.
It is a game to forget and certainly brings up questions about this Patriots team, starting with last year's MVP runner-up.
"My concern level is very high for this football team," head coach Mike Vrabel said after the game. "When you come off a game like that, you just want to get back and work."
Here are the takeaways from the Patriots' Week 3 loss:
1. Drake Maye's turnover struggles continues
Drake Maye's turnover woes continued early in Sunday's Week 3 matchup as a nice drive that got the Patriots into
Jacksonville's territory stalled after the ball slipped out of the quarterback's hands as he went to throw it, resulting in a fumble. Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton recovered. So, a drive where the Patriots were in field goal position turned into a drive that resulted in no points.
And Jacksonville capitalized, with Trevor Lawrence hitting Josh Cameron for a 12-yard touchdown, putting the Jaguars ahead 7-0 at the start of the second quarter.
Then, on the final drive of the first half, with the Patriots having an opportunity to potentially double up on scores as they were set to receive in the second half, Maye made a bad decision, throwing the ball into the back of the end zone where Efton Chism III was fully covered. Instead, Travis Hunter turned around and snagged the ball, marking his first interception of his career. The third quarter also included a turnover, as Maye threw the ball to Jarrian Jones.
"We have to take care of the football," said Vrabel.
Maye went from throwing four interceptions across the first two games to adding an additional two or three today, as well as one fumble. That brings his turnover total up to seven this season. He finished Sunday's game going 14-for-25 with 199 passing yards.
And to make matters worse, he was pulled out of the game late when there was no chance to come back, with Tommy DeVito subbing in during the fourth quarter.
2. Patriots defense bends and breaks
The Jaguars put up 315 total yards of offense on the Patriots, with Lawrence going 19-of-29 for 182 passing yards. Jacksonville also added an additional 137 yards on the ground, with Bhayshul Tuten leading the way with 73 rushing yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
The Jaguars also went five-for-five in the red zone, with safety Kevin Byard saying it is "unacceptable regardless of turnovers."
3. Running game can't get going
The Patriots' run game continues to struggle, with the team picking up just 83 total rushing yards in the loss. TreVeyon Henderson totaled just 23 yards across eight carries, while Rhamondre Stevenson had 22 yards on seven carries. Then there were Maye and Corey Kiner, who each added 18 yards.
4. Too many penalties
Nine!
That's how many penalties the Patriots were called for. Whether it was pass interference calls on both sides of the ball, or the three neutral zone infractions, as well as holds and false starts on the line of scrimmage by the offense, New England could not get out of their own way. But the worst of the day was when Mack Hollins was called for taunting after making a catch in the fourth quarter when the Patriots were down by 25 points. This pushed them back, and instead they had to settle for a field goal.
5. More injuries
The Patriots are losing too many players that they can't afford to lose. After a season with nearly no injuries last year, this season has not been the same. And among the biggest of the day was Greg Van Roten, who started at right guard in place of Mike Onwenu, who is out with a broken right ankle. Van Roten was slow to get up after a play in the second quarter, being ruled as questionable. He was replaced by Walter Rouse, who stayed in the game for the remainder.
Cornerback Carlton Davis missed Week 2 with a neck injury, but took part in practice this past week, returning to the field opposite Christian Gonzalez on Sunday. However, he also left the game briefly in the second quarter, with Charles Woods coming in to replace him, but he ultimately returned. Christian Barmore also went out early with a shoulder injury, was listed as questionable, but he returned as well.
6. Why was Morgan Moses taken out of the game?
Rookie Caleb Lomu came into the game at times as their sixth offensive lineman/jumbo tight end, but late in the game, he took over at right tackle for Morgan Moses. After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked if that might mean Moses' starting spot is in jeopardy, but he quickly ended any talk of that.
"Not that I'm aware of," Vrabel said, adding that they wanted to put Lomu in to get him some reps because they were already down by "a [expletive] load."
7. Other notes
- Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was the Patriots' game-day captain
- Darius Muasau started at linebacker for the Patriots, with Jaylen Reed at safety. Jose Ramirez, who was signed to the active roster this week following the injuries to Dre'Mont Jones and Quintayvious Hutchins, had a tackle on the opening kickoff.
- Marcus Jones intercepted Trevor Lawrence after an impressive pass breakup by Jaylen Reed, finishing the day with two other pass breakups as well as allowing a touchdown.
- Mack Hollins had a team-high 87 receiving yards on six catches
- Andy Borregales missed a 38-yard field goal.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 7 takeaways from Patriots ugly 35-6 loss to Jaguars
