JACKSONVILLE – Well, that wasn't good.
No other way to say it, slant it or describe it: The Jaguars' 51-17 to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium Sunday afternoon was dicey at the start, one-sided at the end of the first half and only got worse from there.
Thirty-five downs might be the toughest statistic to take.
That tied a franchise record for New England and reflected what you saw if you watched until game's end – that time and time again, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots offense did pretty much what they wanted.
There are other statistics and other points to make. We'll try to cover a few in this O-Zone Late Night. Sigh.
Let's get to it …
Jeremy from Wise, WV:
Jeremy from Wise, WV
John: This was the much-ballyhooed, always- It's 7-0. Early. Gonna be a loooooong day. anticipated first email of the game. Anxiety was high at the time. Things were looking dicey. The Jaguars got things calmed for a bit after that and looked like they had half a chance to keep it competitive. That calmness didn't last.
Jeremy from Wise, VA:
Impossible to beat New England when your whole team is dropping like flies! Don't know if I have ever seen this many injuries this early in a season on any team. WAIVER WIRE! PRACTICE SQUAD!
John: I don't try to compare injuries from one season to another. You can't control them and it only drives you crazy to blame them for outcomes of games. This is pretty extreme, though. The good news is most of the Jaguar' injuries. I'll leave it at that for now. I'm a little tired of bad news.
David from Broward County, FL:
O-Man, are Bradley and Babich so committed to soft zone coverage at all costs? You cannot stop Brady's passing game when he gets rid of the ball in under two seconds with all slot receivers/tight ends getting a free release or at least a five-to-10-yard cushion. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the very definition of … well … you see where I'm going with this. Why no press coverage or hard chucks on the line of scrimmage for Gronk, Edelman or Amendola? Please give us some O-Zone reason to this maddening defensive strategy.
John: The Jaguars attacked New England figuring blitzing would not work. They focused instead on making tackles quickly, keeping plays in front of them and being sound fundamentally defensively. This did not work. I don't particularly know what would have worked.
Timothy from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL:
I didn't expect the Jaguars to win this week, but I expected them to at least compete.
John: I expected the game to be closer at halftime, though to be honest the game went pretty much as I expected until the Devin McCourty interception near the end of the first half. The Patriots are the kind of team that makes you pay for imperfection. That pass was pretty far from perfect and the next thing you knew a potentially close game felt like a blowout. As it turned out, that feeling was spot on.
Alton from Melbourne, FL:
This is becoming a little too common place. Every game, Bortles throws a crucial interception.
John: You're talking about Bortles' interception at the end of the first half because it was his only interception Sunday. He said it best: bad throw, bad play – or something to that effect. The Jaguars faced a tough task with or without that interception, and no doubt that one hurt. At the same time, it was a throw downfield in the final minutes of the half. When you throw an interception deep in your opponents' territory, it's fair not to automatically assume it's going to turn into a touchdown for the opponent.
Brian from Neptune Beach, FL:
1-2.
John: Well, yes.
Henry from Section 215:
Name one QB not named Brady (or Manning) that gets a roughing-the-passer call if a defender barely touches their helmet. Just ridiculous!
John: This was in reference to a roughing-the-passer penalty on Jaguars Otto linebacker Dan Skuta late in the first half, a penalty that came when Skuta pretty much just touched Brady's helmet. It's an irritating call, though by the letter of the rule the correct one. And it's not really exclusive to Brady-Manning, though the emotion of the moment often makes it seem that way.
Renee from from #DTWD:
John!!!! I will try not to complain about the price of beer at EVERBANK AGAIN!!!! GEEZ! Go JAGS!!!!
John: Renee on Sunday learned what many Jaguars fans who travel to road games learn – that 'the Bank ain't a bad place to be.
Cade from Orlando, FL:
John, I feel terrible for how bad your inbox will look tomorrow... #GodSpeed
John: Well, it ain't exactly strawberry wine and daisies tonight, either, Cade.
